Legacy of White Wings
by Naryfiel Lilith
Summary: It all began with white wings, white wings burning alongside a sacred forest. It led to despair, and a longing for the flames to burn the world to ash. But not all fires destroy. Sometimes, they give birth to new life, and light the paths of heroes with their radiance. And their path started with a mad king's rise and fall. This is their story. (FE9 novelization)
1. Chapter 1) White Hawk

Chapter 1) White Hawk

* * *

 _Tellius, the land blessed by the dawn's own flames or so the stories go. Its people are the only survivors of the terrible flood the Dark God unleashed upon the world, and it is the home of the heroes who vanquished Dark God under the direction of the Goddess. It is also a land filled with strife, with bloodshed so constant that it is said that some areas have soil forever stained with the blood of the fallen. It's difficult to say just why, or how, things started. Only that the tensions between beorc and laguz have been as constant as the rise and fall of the sun. I don't really understand all the history of it, though. I only know that all the fighting eventually led to the creation of the current countries._

 _Begnion was one of the first countries of Tellius, and is now a theocracy, ruled by those who claim to be chosen by the goddess. Largest of the nations by far, it is a prideful beorc nation and brooks no insults to anything, especially to its leader, the Apostle who is said to hear the voice of the goddess. Because hearing things no one else can hear is the model of sanity. Once it covered most of the continent, but due to the struggles and 'political differences', the western parts broke off to become their own countries, Crimea and Daein. And the two countries couldn't be more different if they tried. Crimea, the elder of the two, was founded by those who wished for laguz and beorc to be equals, and was the first ally of the fledgling country of Gallia. Daein, meanwhile, was founded a couple decades later in protest of Begnion acknowledging Gallia as its own country._

 _Goldea, realm of the dragons, is perhaps the oldest country on Tellius and, as such, was not absorbed into Begnion when it declared itself an empire. Supposedly ruled by only one king throughout its entire history, it is known for its infamous isolation, refusing to get involved even when other laguz were enslaved by the beorc. So, it is often considered apart from the other laguz nations. Gallia, kingdom of the beasts, who fought back against the beorc during the height of laguz slavery. Phoenicis, land of the hawks, filled with bird laguz who escaped from Begnion. Kilvas, home of the ravens, who split off from Phoenicis and is known for mercenary ways and shadowy dealings. Serenes, former dwelling of the peaceful herons, now wiped out due to mad mobs because it is oh-so-easy to drive beorc to kill._

 _All of the countries live in a constant cycle of battle and peace. Battle and peace. And though we are nominally in a period of peace, everyone knows that it is false. The flames of war have already begun burning, using white feathers as fuel, and nothing could stop the inevitable cataclysm._

* * *

I leaned back against the bark of the tree, shifting my feet to better brace myself against the branch. For once, I wasn't up among the leaves hunting. Instead, I was keeping an eye on the two walking through the woods, a father and his daughter. The leader of some mercenaries that made their home near here. I didn't normally watch over them, because of him, but just a few days ago, the girl and her friend, a little boy, had been caught by bandits while picking wildflowers. So, I decided just to make sure, even if the two were beorc. I did make sure to keep my distance, only getting close enough to eavesdrop. Because if I was going to keep an eye on them, I might as well try to get some of the local gossip as well. Needed to know if beorc were going to set the forest on fire like they did that Serenes place.

"You didn't have to delay leaving just to come with me, Father," the little girl was saying. She skipped along the path, humming a little tune. Her basket swung in time to the song. "I know the job is important."

"Considering what happened recently, you'll have to forgive your poor old father for worrying," the father deadpanned. Though she giggled, he remained stoic. "Why were you getting flowers anyway?"

"Because we're getting close to the anniversary of Mother's death, and you're always really sad when it comes?" She fiddled with her hands, looking away sheepishly. "I thought some flowers might cheer you up? Plus, I'd hoped to use some to make a welcome-home present…"

"Oh, Mist…" He sighed, but smiled and ruffled her hair. "Mist, all I need to keep on smiling is for you and Ike to be as safe and happy as possible. And the only present I need is to see you both smiling."

"But _we_ like it when _you're_ smiling too!" She huffed, sulking. She even flailed a bit. "Anyway, you were harsh with Ike."

"I told you. Rules are in place for a reason. His running ahead would've gotten you and Rolf hurt if Titania hadn't had the foresight to recruit Shinon." He suddenly suddenly glared at my direction, but I ducked behind the trunk to use it and the leaves as cover. "What was that? Something white… a bird? No, we don't have white birds in this season."

"Oh, I bet you saw the forest fairy, Father!" The girl giggled and when I snuck a glimpse, I saw she had grabbed her father's arm, bouncing on her toes. "The villagers say that if you see her, you can walk anywhere in the forest and know you're protected! Lucky, huh?"

"Ah, that old story." The father slowly relaxed. "I remember hearing about it."

"It's a fun story, isn't it?" The girl began babbling about this and that, stories she had heard and the like. I settled back against the trunk, only absently listening. Forest fairy… the story itself was very old, but I couldn't remember when the locals attached it to me. Then again, I had no idea how long I had lived in the woods. Time was meaningless under the leaves.

I continued watching until I saw them leave and then jumped from branch to branch to head deeper into the forest. As I did, the branches caught the holes in my shirt and tore them even more. I'd have to steal another one from a village soon. Probably needed another pair of pants or skirt or… whatever was around. I didn't really care. Clothes were for protecting me from the cold and branches. And, you know, habit. I'd worn clothes when my parents were alive, after all.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing I needed to keep an eye out for. The bow I used was straining, so I'd need to swipe a new one when I could. Along with some arrows. I needed to hunt, after all. I had learned long ago that I couldn't survive on berries and wild vegetables alone. I wondered if that was something 'normal' or if it was something 'unique' I had inherited from Mother. I vaguely remembered her making faces whenever Father had tried to give her nuts and berries...

The wind suddenly gusted, 'screaming' with such force that it nearly tore my feather from my hair. I caught it quickly and leaned against a tree to study it, smiling bitterly. This feather was the _one_ thing I had from my parents now. A feather from Mother's wings, white with a black band near the tip. She had beautiful wings. I still remembered them. I also knew she'd had white hair and gold eyes, but that was only because I inherited both. I didn't remember what Father had looked like anymore. I knew his smile. But that was just about it. Memories faded with time. Well, most memories. Memories I'd rather keep instead of the ones I did remember, like the memory of that night. That night when beorc my father had treated stormed into our house and dubbed them 'sinners' before trying to kill us. Father, covered in blood, telling Mother to take me and run, because she was faster and stronger than him. Mother slipping in her own blood as we fled through the woods, the smoke of our home filling the air. The days after were hazier, but I did remember one thing all too clearly. Mother approaching laguz, beast laguz, in an attempt to get help, but they grimace when they saw me and turned away, leaving her to bleed. She eventually died from the wounds. From the infection that had settled in the wounds. All because the laguz had seen me and had chosen to ignore us both.

"I was eight when that happened," I whispered, looking up at the swaying leaves. I sometimes thought aloud, just for fun. I had no real reason to speak, but it made me feel like I was holding onto _something_ from my parents still, even if I no longer remembered what it was. "I wonder how long its been." I didn't remember the year or anything and I doubted anyone cared enough to write it down. "How would they describe it anyway? 'Oh, benevolent goddess, we exacted your will and butchered a loving couple and their child in their own home'?" There was, of course, no answer. I was alone. I had been since Mother died. "I wonder how they learned that I was…

Absently, I rested a hand on the left side of my abdomen, where my Brand was. Child of beorc and laguz, anathema to the Goddess… the Brand was proof that I was a 'being that should not exist'. As if I had any choice over my birth and as if love was something to be punished. That wasn't right. In fact, it was unnatural. But since the ones who declared it were beorc and laguz, I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. After all, I knew, from the long years here in the forest, that the laws of nature were defined by luck, empathy, and compassion. For that reason, the beorc and laguz, and their precious Goddess, were horribly unnatural. At most, they only had luck.

"Bah, enough." Feather secured in my hair again, I climbed down from the tree and set off to the nearby river, deciding that I wanted some fish for my next meal. As I walked, though, I noticed the wind still gusting, still 'screaming', and I closed my eyes to listen to it. No words or voice, but it spoke to me anyway. Father said it was the hawk in me, just like my vision and strength and skill. "...There's blood on the wind." That wasn't unusual. Beorc were always killing each other. But never in this amount, and never enough to make the wind scream. "What happened…?"

Shaking my head, I continued on my way, pushing it from my mind. Whatever it was, I doubted it would involve me, after all.

* * *

It wasn't often that one had reflected light stab them in the eyes down here under the leaves. That was a reason why I made my home _here_ after Mother died. So, when I had what felt like hundreds bombard me, I knew something was wrong. After my eyes stopped watering and protesting, I branched-walked towards the source (or sources), keeping my gaze mostly down to avoid being 'attacked' again because I liked my head unaching. Then, when I was close enough, I crouched down and narrowed my eyes, frowning as I pieced things together. But it was strange. Unless I was hallucinating, which was perfectly possible, then it was because two armored forces were fighting. I'd never seen that before, unless one counted the ragtag armor of bandits and the not-uniform-armor of the mercenaries. These people were clearly divided, though, with each side wearing the same armor amidst their group.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Even a child would recognize that. No, even a mewling kitten would recognize it. But none of it involved me, really. If they came deeper into the forests, sure, but otherwise? Not my problem. For all I knew, this was just a slightly fancier version of the typical beorc killing beorc that happened every damn day. Well, perhaps a little different, since there were no animals near. Best to follow their example and head deep-deep into the woods until things were quiet again.

But when I turned to do just that, I caught a flash of orange in the corner of my eye. A vibrant orange, all the more noticeable because _nothing_ else was orange. I had to swing over to a different branch to find the source since the trees and branches were in the way, but I soon discovered the orange was a dress. A dress a girl was wearing. A girl desperately trying to run while being chased by people in armor. I frowned and studied her closely. Ashen complexion, eyes wide, lips practically white… tripping and stumbling and desperately gasping for breath… she was terrified. She was terrified to the point of tears; I could see the tears amidst the sweat on her face.

This wasn't my problem. The smart thing to do would be to just leave. But damn it, I refused to leave someone if they needed help. I would not be like the laguz. I wouldn't ignore someone just because I didn't like their race. So, I jumped across a few branches to find a perch with few obstructions, aimed my bow and arrow, and shot the girl in the leg.

She hit the ground and one of the soldiers immediately bent down to scoop her up. That left them open and so, I shot them through the eye. The second soldier died with an arrow through the throat. The third wasn't wearing a helmet, so their death came from an arrow thudding into their skull. And I did the same for the rest, because shooting was easier than breathing. If I could see it, I could hit it, a good thing since a great deal of my survival had depended on the ability and I never had a lot of arrows. Good arrows were had to salvage.

When the last one fell, I jumped down from the branches and walked over to the girl, who was just staring at all the bodies. Bodies I proceeded to loot because supplies were supplies and they had _good_ things. Strong bow, bunches of quivers filled with arrows, multiple packs filled with food and medicine… I could probably survive for a few weeks on this. But there were other things to deal with first. Namely, the girl who was on the edge of fainting and who I shot. She still needed help. So, when I was done looting, I balanced everything I could on one side and then helped the girl up. She leaned into me automatically, letting me lead her into the trees like a puppy, and didn't even seem to notice anything until we made it to one of the local streams. Then she blinked slowly at me while I treated her.

Of course, removing the arrow was a pain, but thankfully, I had practice and, even luckier, there were things in the medical stuff specifically _for_ removing things from wounds. Or so I assumed when I saw the probe things that I… vaguely recognized from Father's stuff. He'd been a doctor. I remembered that. He'd been a doctor who treated all who came to him, be they beorc or laguz. I was pretty sure that's how he and Mother even met. When I'd been little, I'd wanted to be a doctor like him. I didn't now, but life had a funny sense of humor. If you found morbidity and cruelty 'funny' that is. Regardless, I did the best that I could, clumsily cleaning and bandaging the wound.

"I can't believe this is happening…" the girl mumbled. Her eyes were still wide and she was still green and gray in the face. "Oh, goodness… Geoffrey must be panicking. If he's alive. Oh, I hope he's alive." She was babbling. I wasn't sure she even knew she was talking. "We got separated, but he's skilled. My uncle taught him personally, so I'm sure… oh, please, Goddess, let him be-"

"Stream," I interrupted. I poked her leg to better get her attention. "Listen."

"P-Pardon?" She coughed, choking on her own breath. She was close to hyperventilating. "I-"

"Stream." I nodded to it, just in case she couldn't make out my word. "Listen to the water."

"O-Okay…" She bit her lip and fell silent, curling into herself slightly. Before long, though, her stiff posture relaxed and her breath evened out. Her hands stopped shaking and her face gained a little bit of color. "Um… what's your name?" I didn't answer immediately, but not because I was focused on my task. I… couldn't remember. "Oh, wait, I'm being rude. My name is Elincia. I should've given my name first. I'm so sorry."

"You apologize a lot." I didn't think beorc even knew how to apologize. But that was neither here nor there. "Thalia."

"Pardon?"

"My name. Thalia." I thought that was it, anyway. I had a memory of my parents calling me that. They mostly used endearments, though, and I hadn't given my name to anyone since my parents died. "It's Thalia."

"How beautiful…" She smiled sweetly, but there was also something terribly sad about it as well. "Once again, thank you, Lady Thalia. My life… it was bought with the lives of the brave people who had been with me. I am thankful that their sacrifice did not go to waste, even if I am not worthy of that price."

"Clearly, they thought otherwise." What was I supposed to say to that anyway? Beorc were weird. "Where were you going?"

"I had been heading to Gallia, to seek refuge, but I…"

"Gallia, huh?" I doubted the laguz would help her, since she was beorc, but then again, she _was_ beorc. They'd at least acknowledge her. Maybe to pull her intestines out through her mouth, but still. "There's a band of mercenaries that make their home near here. I'll carry you to them."

"You will?"

"You can't walk on that leg." I shrugged. She needed help, and I was the reason why she couldn't walk. So, I needed to keep going. "Up we go."

"Whoa!" She gasped and flailed a little, but I got her on my back easily enough. "I'm sorry… I must be heavy…"

"I'm stronger than I look." With that, I began walking, using the river to help orient myself.

The two of us spent the trip in silence, which was just fine by me since I was really regretting involving myself this much. But I had, so I just had to find the mercenaries now. To my surprise, though, it didn't take long at all because they'd been out killing, or so I guessed. After all, I saw them before I heard them and had to make guesses off of what I saw, which was a group of them fighting. Just a group, mind. The blue-haired son, red-hair second in command, man in white, pink haired guy, man in blue armor, and some wind mage I never could quite see. They fought well, but by the time I actually got within earshot, they had killed everyone, so I had no idea why they'd been fighting. And I didn't care because the sooner I got to them, the sooner I could go back to my own life away from beorc.

"Hey, Shinon, what are you doing?" Blue Armor asked the pink-haired man. I wondered why, because it looked obvious to me that the pink-haired man was taking the weapons of the fallen. "Seriously?"

"What? It's nice stuff and it's not like he's going to complain," Pink Hair scoffed. He picked up a quiver and grinned. "He doesn't need it anymore."

"Well, yeah…"

"Steal from the dead on your own time, Shinon," someone deadpanned. It had to be the person hiding. "We can't afford such behavior at the moment. More might be coming."

"Oh, no, no arguing!" Red Hair scolded, stepping in front of Pink Hair as he stood up and growled something. She frowned at everyone in the group. "Soren is right in that we have no time to waste, and that _includes_ bickering. Besides, where's Rhys?" Rhys… if that was the man in white, then he was in the forest. "Rhys?"

"Sorry, I thought I saw some movement," the man in white explained, looking over his shoulder. He promptly tripped on some roots, but if I remembered correctly, he was the mercenary healer. I'd seen him foraging often. So, I headed straight for him. "Ugh… what a thick thicket."

"Need help?"

"Not yet, but… WAH!" He yelped and stumbled back as I stepped out from the brush. I wondered why he was so surprised, but I didn't have time to focus on it because the bright light stabbed my eyes and made them water. And gave me a bit of a headache, but thankfully, that subsided quickly. None of the armor was reflective-shiny. "Oh, ah… hello?"

"She needs help," I told him, nodding at Elincia. When she didn't chime in, I glanced back and saw she was actually unconscious. Must've fainted once she decided she was 'safe'. "So."

"So what?" Hider demanded. Red Hair glared at whoever it was, but they just scoffed. "We have enough trouble without getting involved in matters that don't concern us."

"Aw, come on, Soren, it's two beautiful ladies!" Blue Armor laughed. He smiled at me, while Pink Hair rolled his eyes and returned to his looting. "We should assist!"

"I doubt either of them are desperate enough to bed you, no matter how charming you pretend to be."

"That's just cold, Soren."

"Looks like she's been through a lot," the son murmured, stepping up to stand in front of me. I tilted my head curiously, wondering why he looked so sympathetic. "And you as well, since you're crying." I wasn't crying. That was just because bright lights hurt my eyes and hurt eyes watered. Or bled. I prefered the former. "Come on. Both of you should head back with us. We'll make sure you're okay."

I almost just handed him Elincia. I mean; I just wanted to get her to help and I had no connection to her otherwise. I had no intention of spending more time with beorc than I had to. But I looked at her again, still unconscious, and could only sigh. I couldn't just leave. I had to be certain she would get the help she needed. _Then_ I could leave and wash my hands of people again. I hoped.

I had such a bad feeling about all of this.

* * *

The father of the mercenary group asked no questions when his son and the others brought Elincia and I to their home. Instead, he had us checked over, lent Elincia a bed, and only asked that I stay within sight for the time being. I was certain that being on the roof hadn't been what he expected, but I was within sight, so I saw no reasons for him to complain. If anything, I wanted to complain. The tiles needed to be replaced and kept shifting under my feet.

Adjusting my position, again, I continued observing the mercenaries, eyes narrowed. Father and son were sparring in the yard, while a green-haired axe fellow watched nearby. The man in white tended to someone in dark robes in the shadows of the house. Armored fellow and red-hair lady stood guard at one entrance, while a very green man stood guard at the side. Tucked away in the back corner, the pink haired archer was teaching the little boy how to shoot, both constantly checking the area like the lessons were some big secret or whatever.

"Miss!" I looked down to see the little girl had stepped outside, waving her arms to catch my attention. "Hey, the lady woke up!" she called, jumping up as if I hadn't already seen her. "I thought you'd like to know!"

I nodded, acknowledging her, and climbed down, careful to not catch any splinters in my feet. Once on the ground, I swung inside and headed into the room furthest from the door. From what I gathered, it was the girl's room, and arguably one of the most defensible rooms in the entire place, but that didn't really matter. What did was that the girl was right. Elincia _was_ awake, and looking about in confusion.

"Mercenaries' home," I told her, walking in. She smiled slightly when she saw me. Even if I was a stranger, I _was_ still someone she (sort of) knew. "You fainted."

"I see," she murmured. She attempted to get out of the bed, but though she got her feet on the floor, her legs refused to hold her. Knew it wasn't the arrow wound, since the man in white had healed it, so I guessed it was shock. "Ah…"

"I'm not the most knowledgeable in medicines, but I think trying to stand up after waking from a faint isn't a good idea."

"No, I suppose not…" She laughed awkwardly and then suddenly sat up straight. "Ah, hello there…" I looked to the door and saw the father and the son walk in as well. I tried to leave, but both of them stopped basically _right_ where I'd have to walk, leaving me to just awkwardly stand near the wall by Elincia. "I don't…"

"Relax, you're in no danger here," the father began. He studied her for a moment before nodding. "The name is Greil. I am the commander of this mercenary group." He rested his hand on his son's shoulder, but I was distracted because that name was familiar for some reason. After a moment, I remembered an old story Father told me, of the 'Warrior Greil' who slew 'Sir Gawain' in order to protect a princess or… something. I couldn't quite remember the details, but I knew it. It was why 'Greil' was a popular name in Crimea. "This is my son, Ike. He's the one who led you two here."

"Is that so?" Elincia bowed as low as she could while remaining seated. The son (Ike?) seemed a bit flustered by it all. "You have my gratitude, Lord Ike."

"Ha, you don't have to use a title. But if you'll pardon my bluntness, I have a few questions for you." He glanced at me too, for some reason. "Who are you? Why were you in that place?" His eyes narrowed, and Elincia hesitated for some reason. Beorc were strange. "Ike's report indicated that there was a fierce battle between Daein and Crimean forces. Crimean _knights_ , according to Titania." I had no idea why that was important. "Do you have some connection to the royal family? Will you share your story?"

"...You took me in, even knowing it could cause difficulties… so, yes, I will place my trust…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, opening her eyes to look right at Greil. "My name is Elincia. Elincia Ridell Crimea." Her name was the name of the country? "I am the daughter of King Ramon and his wife, Queen Sabrina."

"Now that is an odd claim to make." Greil hooked his foot around a nearby chair and dragged it over to sit down. His son remained standing, looking a little overwhelmed by all of this. And, sadly, still blocked the door, so I couldn't escape. "As far as I know, the king and queen don't have children, which is why Duke Renning is heir."

"I was born after that announcement, so my heritage… even my very existence…" Elincia clasped her hands together and rested them in her lap. "They've never been made public, to lessen the chances of political turmoil. Many look forward to my uncle's reign, but…" I didn't understand any of that, but I supposed it was just like beorc to worry more about politics than family. Idiocy. "Then there is the risk of someone using me to discredit my uncle…"

"Hmm… yes, I can accept that. It's no small claim, and you do bear resemblance to the king and queen. More the king."

"You… knew my parents?"

"I've been hired by them a couple of times, mostly for jobs where knights would exacerbate the conflict." Greil leaned back, crossing his arms. The son, for some reason, smiled at me wryly. I wondered if he felt as awkward as I did. "Well, assuming that is true, you must have news from Melior. What has happened to the king and queen?"

"My…" Elincia's eyes watered, and she sat rigidly. "They're… my parents are dead…" She looked down hurriedly and I almost went to her side automatically, all to aware of that crushing pain. But I didn't know how beorc comforted people, so… "Ashnard broke through the lines on his wyvern… I had never seen a wyvern so large before, nor one with so black of scales…" Greil frowned, but there was a knowing, and sympathetic, look in his eyes. Like he knew _exactly_ what she was talking about. "My lord uncle… he bade me to take flight while he organized the remaining knights to continue fighting the Daein forces."

"Buying time for evacuations, and for you in particular to escape… yes, that fits the knight I know. He trained Titania, after all." Greil closed his eyes briefly before opening them again to focus on Elincia. "So, does the king of Daein know of your existence?"

"Yes, all the other countries were quietly informed of me, in case of something dire."

"Hence the ambush." He nodded, eyes calculating now. The son caught Elincia's eye and smiled to reassure her. I hoped I could escape, but no such luck. "So, where were you heading?"

"Gallia. King Caineghis and my father are good friends, so we hoped he would grant me sanctuary." Elincia nodded to me. "Thalia said that you all were mercenaries, and… I know I have no right to ask, but…"

"We are mercenaries, yes." Greil glanced at me, eyes narrowed. "First time I've seen a knight without shoes." Wasn't like shoes were just around to be stolen. Ignoring the knight comment there. "Lose them in the muck of the forest?"

"Hmm? Ah, no, Thalia isn't a Crimean knight." Elincia smiled warmly at me. "She's a very kind woman who saved me when I was shot and the Daein soldiers grabbed me."

"They must've shot your leg to keep you from running. But carrying someone makes it harder to fight, and dodge. A good archer knows how to take advantage of that." Which was why _I_ shot her, but I wasn't bringing that up. "You'd like us to take you to Gallia."

"If you would? I…" Elincia looked down again. "I do not… have anywhere else to turn…"

"That is true." Greil fell silent, studying her for a while, and then sighed and stood up, patting her shoulder. "I have to think on the request and discuss it with the others. However, you are more than welcome to stay here until we reached that decision, and I _can_ promise help. It's just simply what kind of help will be safest for both us and you."

He left then and his son follow suit. I almost went as well, but I saw Elincia sag and I just… couldn't leave her. "Hey, maybe you should lie down," I murmured, briefly resting the back of my hand on her cheek. Clammy. "You had to relive some bad memories there."

"It was awful…" she mumbled, shuddering. She even hugged herself, like she was desperately trying to hold onto her own warmth. "Ashnard drove an axe straight through my mother's head, and the less said of what the wyvern did to my father, the better…" She curled into herself, leaning forward. "If not for Bastien, I would've met the same fate. Oh, I hope he's okay… he had stayed back to create a diversion with Lucia… Goddess, please…"

"You definitely need to rest more." What else was I supposed to say? Beorc were weird even before you accounted for the 'weird ones'. I had no idea what to do. "Here, lay down."

It didn't take much convincing to get her to go back to sleep. She passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow, so I hesitantly pulled the blankets over her, vaguely remembering Mother doing that with Father and me when the two of us napped. As soon as she was covered, though, I escaped the room, shutting the door behind me. Of course, because of how my luck had been all day, I bumped into someone just as I began walking away. I opened my mouth to apologize, since I sort of remembered that was what you were supposed to do if you bumped into someone, but the words dried up in my mouth when I got a good look at the boy. The boy with a _Brand_ right on his forehead. He also stared at me with wide eyes, no doubt sensing that commonality we had. Both of us were anathema to the Goddess, and if laguz could sense it, then it wasn't a surprise to learn that Branded could as well.

"...My name is Thalia," I finally whispered. I didn't want to bring up the obvious, because I didn't know who in his group knew. But I couldn't just be silent. "Yours?"

"...Soren," the boy replied. His expression flattened to some sort of stoic-scowl. "Stupid to get involved in things that don't concern you."

"Yeah, I know." I shrugged, smiling wryly. "Memories make everyone do stupid shit, huh?"

"I suppose." He nodded curtly and entered the room across from the one Elincia was borrowing, calling for 'Ike', the son.

I just shrugged and left, deciding to go back outside and watch everything from the roof. While I didn't want to leave while Elincia was asleep (it just felt wrong), with some luck, I could get out of here by nightfall and, with a little less luck, I could leave by the morning. Simple, yes? It wasn't as if any of this was my problem or anything.

So, why did I have a feeling I wasn't going to get lucky at all?

* * *

Greil didn't give Elincia an answer by dinner, and tired as I was from having to deal with so many beorc at once, I almost left. But I _did_ want to confirm that Greil would, in fact, help her and I discovered that they had already made a plate for me. The few manners I had left from my parents insisted on me staying (as did the food because it _did_ smell good). Afterwards, I decided to check on Elincia again since I'd ended up eating half of her plate to hide how she was picking at her food.

"I wonder why it was so hard to eat," she mumbled, sitting on the bed. I was leaning on the wall by the bed, just listening. "I never had trouble with that before. Elisheba used to tease me."

"Elisheba?" I repeated, mostly just to say something. Was that what you were supposed to do? I hadn't had a conversation in years. "Who's that?"

"My former wet nurse, Geoffrey and Lucia's mother. And the person who raised me, alongside my parents and my uncle…" She smiled sadly. "I don't know… what happened to her. She showed us a way out, a secret passage, but she didn't come with us. She said that the door could only be closed from outside, so she shut it behind us. She's probably dead, just like…"

"...It's a death she would've preferred, compared to you coming in danger." Was that right to say? I had no idea. But I knew it was true. "Most mothers defend their young with everything they have and more. And they make sacrifices so that their children can live." Like my mother. She could've lived if she'd abandoned me. She could've gotten help if she'd thrown me away. But she hadn't. Instead, she had done her best to keep me safe, even as she bled to death. "I know it is a deep loss. Maybe that is why you couldn't eat? That loss bore a hole in you?"

"Mmm… maybe. Now that I think about it, I do think I've read something about grief making it difficult to eat." Her smile became bitter. "I had always known I was blessed, but I never realized how much until now. Yes, there was something heavy about my very life being a burden, but all the people in my life reassured and loved me. My parents called me their greatest blessing. Uncle Renning would sneak me out so that we could spend time together. And all the pranks Lucia and I would play on Geoffrey…" She shook her head and looked to me. "Oh, listen to me ramble. Thank you for staying with me. Will your own family be missing you, Thalia?"

"My parents died when I was little, so I live alone." I waved off her shocked gasp. "It was a long time ago, but from experience, I recommend you write down what you can about your family. Time wears away everything."

"So, you don't remember them?"

"I remember their deaths, and I remember small things." Still, I couldn't help but smile and fiddle with the feather in my hair. "However, I'm sure that even if I do forget, there are still things that they taught me that will remain with me always. And maybe through that, there is some meaning to their lives."

"...My father once told me that 'meaning' is not something you find during your life, but something that is found once that life ends. It's hard to find meaning in the middle of a story, after all." She smiled kindly. "I do know one thing, though. If they had not given birth to you, then I likely would've died in the woods. That makes me very grateful that they lived." She frowned suddenly. "Though, that also makes it sound like I'm glad they died… oh dear." I couldn't help but snicker, and was surprised by the sound. When was the last time I'd laughed? I couldn't remember. "Um… er…"

Thankfully for her dignity, sudden and rapid footsteps in the hall distracted us and we poked our heads out into the hallway to see the mercenaries rushing about. Confused, and curious, we followed, though when we saw them all congregated around a table in a large room, we ducked back and pressed ourselves against the wall to stay out of sight. Meetings weren't a thing to interrupt, after all.

"So, we have all of us?" Greil asked, once the group settled into their places. He was perfectly stoic, but something told me that meant nothing about the situation. "Good. For those of you who haven't heard, we're surrounded by soldiers. Daein soldiers." Well, shit.

"Bastards," Pink Hair growled. Unlike the others, he had his weapons on hand. I did see more weapons leaning against the far wall, though. They must've thrown them there, while he'd held onto his. "So, what are the dogs saying, Commander?"

"Turn over the princess and leave immediately or be put to the sword." Greil shrugged. Elincia winced beside me. "Pretty straightforward, and typical of Daien."

"Great."

"So, what are we going to do?" Blue Armor asked. All of them actually had their armor on, I noticed. Some were still adjusting it, like Axe Fellow who was directly across the table from Greil, but it was all on. "Listen or…?"

"That's what we're here to discuss, Gatrie," Greil explained. He glanced out the window, eyes narrowed. The little girl shivered and stepped a bit closer to him, and he pulled her into a one-armed hug to reassure her. "I'd say this proves our guest's heritage. So, I'd like to hear from everyone." He held up his free hand to stop the deluge of responses. "One at a time so that I can actually hear everyone. We don't have time for me to try and decipher things." He nodded to Red Hair, who stood next to him, across from the son. "Titania, please, you first."

"You say that because you know my answer," Red Hair sighed. Still, she smiled briefly before her expression smoothed out for composed confidence. "Well, I won't bother with the moral reasons. The blame for this war lies with Daein, so allying ourselves with them will make our company's reputation suffer. Conversely, if we help the princess, we raise our stock with our primary employers and, more importantly, our home country. I would say our path is clear."

"And I say we hand over the princess at once," Soren immediately retorted. Red Hair frowned, and I felt Elincia stiffen beside me. But the way Soren glanced to his right… no, glanced at the son, with barely concealed worry, told me just why he was saying this. He wanted to protect him. "Fighting against the Daein army is nothing more than foolishness, and as mercenaries, we are beholden only to ourselves. Daein will likely win this war, and if we curry favor now, we might be able to survive the coming purge."

"Soren!"

"Someone has to be logical about this, and we all know it won't be anyone else here."

"Soren, please stop purposely trying to rile Titania up," Greil scolded. Soren instantly fell silent and looked away. Red Hair grimaced, like such a thing was common. "Well, there's two. Shinon, Gatrie. I want to hear you two next."

"Soren is a pompous, arrogant whelp, but he's got the right idea," Pink Hair immediately drawled, eyes narrowed. He ignored the scowls thrown his way with practiced ease, while Blue Armor just began mumbling something. "Besides, the girl's destination is Gallia, right? I don't care how much we're paid; I'm not going to a land crawling with subhumans."

"Yes, I know well your hatred for the laguz, Shinon." Greil's eyes were understanding, and Pink Hair actually looked away. That alone told me the laguz did _something_ to him. Not a surprise. Beorc and laguz were both battle-hungry, killing for fun and pleasure. "Gatrie?"

"Princess Elincia does possess a regal beauty," Blue Armor continued to mumble. Pink Hair immediately facepalmed, as did Green Armor, who even took a step to the left to be closer to Axe Fellow and further from Blue Armor. "There's a lot to be said for that, though I do prefer country girls myself…" Red Hair pinched the bridge of her nose, while Soren rolled his eyes. "Bit cuter and not as standoffish…" Axe Fellow covered the little boy's ears, while the son did the same for the girl (and did his best to not pull her away from the hug). "Hmm? Ah! Sorry, was thinking!" Blue Armor grinned, as if completely unaware of the exasperation. The man in white just closed his eyes and sighed, like this was fairly normal. "Whatever you decide is good for me, Commander!"

"It's always so nice to see how nothing rattles Gatrie," Green Armor sighed. He shrugged and raised his hand. Greil nodded to tell him to continue. "I am in favor of helping her. Handing her over is essentially giving them permission to kill her, an unarmed civilian. I am not a knight anymore, but I can't abide by that."

"I'm with Oscar," Axe Fellow agreed. He still kept his hands over the little boy's ears. "Besides, it's what a hero would do, right? Nothing says that mercenaries can't be heroes."

"Or that mercenaries should can't be as honorable as a knight."

"Precisely."

"Everyone is so focused on her rank…" the man in white murmured, half-hidden beside Red Hair. He shook his head and looked directly at Greil. "We have always helped people in need. I do not see why we should change that just because there is a war."

"Yes, we should help her!" the little boy agreed, flailing his arms. And almost hitting Axe Fellow. "Also, Boyd, you need to cover my ears better if I'm not supposed to hear anything. Because I heard everything still."

"Leave it to Boyd to mess even that up," the little girl deadpanned. It got some chuckles out of everyone. "But anyway, I say we help her! She's really nice, and she looks so lonely! All she has is Thalia, after all!" She… ah… didn't really 'have' me. "Ike? You agree, right?"

"Of course," the son murmured. He ruffled her hair and looked at Soren. "We've never backed down from helping people before. I say we escort her to Gallia."

"I have the best brother~!"

"Yeah, remember that when I next do something stupid, okay?"

"So, in five minutes?"

"Settle down, you two," Greil chided. He closed his eyes, thinking with a frown. "Well, I've heard everyone. Balancing that with my own knowledge… my decision is that we protect the princess." Most of the mercenaries smiled at that, though Soren scowled and Pink Hair scoffed. "For one thing, Daein isn't in a habit of leaving potential loose ends like us about. For another, they never intended to give us a choice at all. Open your ears and listen, everyone."

Curious, everyone fell silent and I went cold when I realized just what the issue was. Silence. Complete and utter silence, from the animals to the insects, in all directions. The last time that had happened, there had been a devastating flood triggered by an even worse earthquake. This time, though…

"Looks like they just wanted to give themselves more time to finish up their trap," I murmured, striding in. Elincia squeaked behind me, but I ignored everyone to head for the window. I narrowed my eyes, taking note of anything and everything I could see. "Looks like they're focusing on two entrances…? No, if you have a back, then I'd assume three. Some are moving behind the building, I think." Times like this made me wish I could see in the dark like a cat, but hawks couldn't do that. "I'm counting twenty… twenty to twenty-two soldiers of various weapons and movements. Horses and heavily armored, along with regular foots… bows, lances, axes, swords... And they're moving fast. You've a few almost at the two entrances, actually." I frowned, noticing movement in the trees, and turned to face the mercenaries. "There's also some in the woods, hiding. Can't count those. Too damn dark."

"You've got very good sight, to see all of that so quickly," Greil murmured. He looked over at Elincia, who lingered in the doorway. "I would've thought you two were in the back?"

"We heard a commotion and grew worried," Elincia explained. She bit her lip and ducked her head. "I apologize for the trouble. Is there anything I can do to assist? I am no fighter or anything, b-but my uncle did teach me swords…?"

"Really, now?" Greil frowned and gestured. The other mercenaries gathered up their weapons and Pink Hair joined me by the window, frowning as he looked out. "In that case, if you can keep an eye on Mist and Rolf for me? I'll be holding the rear and the others will be dealing with the front. Ike." He looked to the son. "You're in charge. Just defend for now, since I'm sure they're retreat once they realize we're no easy prey."

"Me?" the son replied, surprised. But he quickly nodded. "Got it. Be careful, Commander."

"I'll give it a shot," Greil laughed. He still made time to pat his son on the back. "Move quick, everyone!"

I darted back to the room Elincia had been using to snag the bow and arrows I had before heading outside to see everyone already in the thick of battle. So, thinking quickly, I climbed up onto the roof for the third time today, in order to have a good vantage point. Then I sighted the soldiers furthest away, drew back my arrow, and fired. First one only skimmed off their helmet, because I hadn't known it would deflect my arrow so much, but my second found their eye and down they fell. The soldiers behind them tripped over the corpse, yelping and flailing, and that left them easy targets for even more arrows. Not just mine, either. Pink Hair was doing something similar, though he had climbed onto the wall instead of the roof. Meanwhile, Red Hair and Blue Armor held the front entrance while Axe Fellow and Green Armor dealt with the side. The son focused on checking on how people were doing, ordering some to fall back to let the man in white tend to injuries, and filling in the holes in the defenses as needed. Soren used his magic to deal with the heavily armored foes, while also arranging everyone's movements and attacks. I saw Pink Hair roll his eyes at both of them, but he listened without saying a word. Well, save to taunt the enemies into focusing on him. Or maybe they just didn't like how he looked, because they definitely preferred targeting him. And while they were trying, and failing, to hit him, the rest of us picked them off one by one. Eventually, not even their leader was left; Soren and Red Hair ripped through them.

"We've no time to rest! Pack up everything at once!" Right about then, Greil strode into the yard, snapping orders as if this was a normal occurrence. "Titania! Take Shinon and Gatrie and secure the road between here and the forest!" he ordered, resting his hand on his son's back. "We make our way to Gallia through the trees!" Red Hair nodded and joined the rush inside. "Rhys, once you're done with your medicines, you're with me! We're pulling all essential documents from the library and burning everything else!" The man in white nodded, looking a little grey, and headed in as well. "Ike." He looked down at him, and his son smiled slightly. "You okay?" His son nodded. "Good, then once you're packed, I want you to keep an eye on the princess."

"Mist and Rolf as well, right?" his son replied, nodding. By my eye, he seemed a little gray, not 'okay', but whatever. Beorc were weird and I was distracted by the wind. It was 'screaming' so loudly… "And Soren?"

"Knowing Soren, he's already packing your things for you, and he's better at it." He nudged his son inside. "Gon on." He watched his son leave before turning to me. "Thalia, do you know a fast way to Gallia through the forest?"

"I know a way, yes," I replied absently, not really paying attention. The wind held it fully. Was this what the wind sounded like during a war? Or was it screaming because something worse was coming? "I don't know how fast it is, but I know it well."

"Good enough for me," he replied with a shrug. He turned away and I only realized then that I'd accidentally volunteered to travel with this group and lead them. This was… ugh… stuck with a bunch of beorc… even if they were as close to 'good' as beorc could get, it was still maddening. And I didn't know how to travel with a _group_ , damn it! "Gatrie, leave those addresses to be burned, damn it! Not like you're going on any dates soon with this happening!"

I stood awkwardly in the courtyard for a moment, not really sure what to do. I wanted out of here and I didn't want anything more to do with these crazies. But even if it was on accident, I _did_ volunteer and I could just leave once we were at the border or something? So, with a sigh, I headed in as well, this time to try and get out of the way. I ended up near where Elincia and the little girl were quickly folding clothes and shoving them into packs, and the two were conversing.

"Ah, Mist, what's that around your neck?" Elincia murmured, pausing in her packing to point at the glowing medallion that had swung out from under the little girl's collar. I frowned at it, feeling strangely uneasy about it. "It's so pretty…"

"Hmm? Ah…" the little girl began. She hesitated before gently cupping it and holding it up so that Elincia could see it better. "It is, isn't it? It's from my mother, all I've got from her."

"I wonder why it's glowing…"

"I don't know. It didn't used to do that. It just up and started glowing one day." She tucked the medallion back under her collar. "Weird, huh?"

"The world is truly full of mysteries, isn't it?"

"Like a princess who knows how to pack better than a mercenary!" She laughed and then gasped, focusing on me. "Oh, Thalia!" Then she smiled brightly. What a weird beorc. "You here to help too?"

"I suppose," I whispered. I looked around for something to say or do and was startled by all the _things_ piled up. I couldn't even name some of them. "It's like a squirrel's winter hoard."

"Well, we're all a little squirrely," the little girl joked, giggling. She then held out both her hands to me. For some reason. "Did I ever properly introduce myself to you? I'm Mist!"

"Mist. Got it." Not sure what to do, I looked around again and wondered… "So, how does one pack so many things?"

"Here! You can help me with the bulky stuff!"

I wasn't sure how helpful I actually was, but neither Mist nor Elincia complained, so I hoped it was enough? And I hoped that I could wash my hands of all of them as soon as possible. This was _far_ too much interaction for me.

* * *

 _Thalia, unknown age (appears seventeen or eighteen)_

 _One of the Branded, one whose laguz heritage came from her parent instead of a distant ancestor. She remembers her parents fondly, and how their home was always warm, bright, and happy. After she lost everything, she lived in the forest to stay away from beorc and laguz alike. As a result, she can be blunt, can find things of 'civilization' a little confusing, and doesn't know some words._

 _Strong and skilled, with a reasonable amount of speed, her greatest assets are her great visual acuity, allowing her to see incredible distances, and her ability to 'hear' the wind, giving her good intuition on how to adjust her aim to hit distant targets. With that said, she is a bit sensitive to light because of her incredible vision, which is one reason why she stayed primarily in the dense forests, and she can get distracted when the wind is particularly 'loud'._

 _Though she hates both beorc and laguz, strongly believing them hateful and monstrous at their cores, she does keep an eye on people who enter the forest, mostly because she remembers the terror that came from being alone when you needed help. And she refuses to be like the laguz._

* * *

Author's note: 'Going to be a bit', I said. 'Long in coming', I said. I need to just stop saying things, huh? Welcome to _Legacy of White Wings_ , an FE9 novelization. Why 'white wings'? It's a reference to the herons (and the Serenes Massacre), Begnion (via their pegasus knights), and Elincia (since she eventually gets a pegasus of her own). Why not 'blue flames'? That's for Radiant Dawn.

White hawks are a type of hawk living in the tropical 'New World' (so, Mexico and South America), and the coloring of Thalia's mother's wings is based on the ones who live in Southern Mexico. Why go with that? Well, it just makes sense to me that there would be _some_ variance in looks among the Hawk Tribe of Laguz, given all the different subspecies of hawks and whatnot.

The Branded (treated as a separate, third race in Tellius) all share a few characteristics. Slower aging, the brand, and having unusual abilities and/or incredible skill and aptitude. I picked a focus on vision for Thalia because of the association between hawks and keen sight, and her ability to 'hear the wind' comes from one of Tibarn's castle conversations in FEH. It's hinted throughout the games that Branded can automatically sense each other. The details about how laguz and beorc tend to treat Branded comes directly from the game, though some parts are revealed in Radiant Dawn.

Technically speaking, this chapter actually covers Game-Chapters 3, 4, and 5 in Path of Radiance, with a reference to events in Game Chapter 2. This is mostly because the prologue and first three chapters are more about characterizing the various members of Greil's mercenaries and giving tutorials. Game-Chapter 4 is where the plot of the game actually gets underway.

Thalia's description of what everyone is doing before Elincia wakes up is actually from the game, including Shinon (apparently) teaching Rolf in the back corner. This is the first defense map of the game and, in hard mode, the first fog of war map. Shinon has the skill 'provoke', which makes enemies more likely to target him.

Next Chapter - A Brief Diversion


	2. Chapter 2) A Brief Diversion

Chapter 2) A Brief Diversion

* * *

 _You would think I would know, because of what happened to Father, that helping beorc was nothing more than another way to get yourself in trouble. But because I refused to be like the laguz who turned away, helping a beorc was what I did and now, I was stuck in trouble. I don't understand most of the political stuff, but I do understand that there is a war and I am now leading a group of mercenaries and a princess through the thick forests between Crimea and Gallia._

 _The last time I was around so many beorc, they burned my home and killed my father. Wasn't it nice that I didn't have anything to lose anymore?_

* * *

Was constant complaining something common to beorc or just this group of beorc? Not to mention how they were always so damned loud… every time it felt like I was going to have blessed silence, one of them would start talking or complaining. It was absolutely maddening, really. But accidental or not, I did say I would lead them through the forest and damn it, I couldn't just leave them in the middle of everything. Even if I was tempted to lead a couple of them straight into a bear's cave. We were at the time of year where cubs would be crawling all over the place. Would be funny watching them try and fail to outrun an angry mama bear. Especially when I could just watch from the branches like I was now.

"Why does it have to be so damned humid?" Gatrie complained for what had to be the fiftieth time. Over the past few days, I had put their names and faces to memory, to my grief. I didn't want to remember any of them. Some more than others, of course. "If we weren't on the run, I'd strip off this armor here and now!"

"Well, if there was ever a reason to be thankful for pursuit," Titania deadpanned. Though she had her horse, she didn't ride. Instead, she had Mist ride while she led the horse carefully through the trees. Rolf also rode, but on his brother's horse. "Grin and bear it, Gatrie. The heat is appalling enough without your griping or putting horrible mental images in everyone's heads."

"Hey, it's not that bad of a-"

"Stop there, Gatrie, because we all know you are about to give yourself too large of an opening and it's too hot to deal with," Shinon sighed. He fixed his ponytail again, grimacing at how his hair stuck to his neck. "Ugh… dense forests like this aren't made for us delicate humans. Subhumans love them, though." Though Elincia was up front talking with Greil, I thought I saw her tense up at the words. I know Greil frowned. "Never thought I'd look forward to being in beast country, but anything is better than this." I disagreed. Heavily. "Thalia's insane."

"Shinon, for once, don't be rude," Titania scolded. She barely even paid attention to him, though, focused more on helping her horse over some large roots. "Think of how much harder this would be."

"Commander would've gotten us through."

"Yes, he would, but we would be going much slower. Meaning more time in this heat." It wasn't that bad. We were still in spring, after all. Summer was much worse. "You want to spend more time in the woods?"

"Tch…"

"So, these… subhumans…" Ike began, changing the subject. This time, I definitely saw Elincia tense, and Greil frowned even more. This time, Titania did as well. "Are they really so different from us?"

"You've never seen a beast-man?" Shinon scoffed, rolling his eyes. He then sighed, like he was annoyed he had to explain. "Hairy bunch, the lot of them, and ugly as sin. Fangs and whiskers, and claws as sharp as daggers. They speak our language to pretend otherwise, but they're beasts through and through. Savages, every last one of them." As if beorc were any different.

"That's… huh."

"They sound like the monsters in the stories we heard in the villages," Mist noted, leaning forward slightly to participate in the conversation. Titania frowned even more. "Are there different kinds?"

"There are three groups, each named for their physical characteristics," Soren explained calmly. I saw his fists clench at his side, though, and Ike's worried look showed he saw it as well. "The land we are going to, Gallia, is the land of the beasts. There are also birds and dragons, but the dragons are notoriously isolationist."

"Wow, Soren, I swear you know everything!"

" _That_ is basic knowledge that all mercenaries should know," Shinon scoffed. He scowled at Ike, who became impassive. For some reason, Shinon hated Ike. No clue why. Didn't care either. "You know even less than I thought. Good job."

"I'm personally impressed that your brain can remember anything with the amount of alcohol you down," Soren retorted, expression stoic. Ike sighed and Mist grimaced. Titania facepalmed. I saw the three brothers (Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf) noticeably put some distance, while Gatrie quickly went to help Rhys to conveniently get away. "Perhaps the pickling process preserved things? It certainly would explain your complete lack of adaptability and your inability to learn even new insults."

"What was that, you little…!"

"Shinon?" Greil suddenly called, cutting the potential argument short. Shinon immediately turned to face him, annoyance disappearing for a stoic scowl. "Scout ahead for us, will you? And if you see a good deer or something, go ahead and hunt it. We're likely going to stop soon and I think if we don't have fresh meat tonight, we're going to go mad." If they wanted meat, they could've just said something. I'd been eating it on my own this whole trip.

Shinon nodded once and quickly stepped off the path before moving ahead, following the order without complaint. That was another thing I had noticed. While Shinon griped and challenged everyone in the group, he listened to Greil with barely any complaints at all. It was a very striking difference, really. I wondered if all beorc groups had dynamics like this. If so, I was glad to stay away. They gave me a headache.

"Everyone's nerves are definitely fraying," Greil murmured, falling back a bit to walk with Ike and Soren. Titania led her horse (and Mist) up ahead to take point, with Oscar joining with his own horse and Rolf. Boyd fell back to talk with Rhys and Gatrie."Ike, how are you holding up?"

"I'm just fine, Father… I mean, Commander," Ike replied with next to no expression. He was clearly used to Shinon's insults by now. "You don't have to treat me like a kid, you know."

"Pup, you can be old and gray, and I'll still treat you like the brat you constantly disappeared in the woods to fetch sticks to practice swordsmanship with. It's a parental right." Greil grinned and ruffled Ike's hair, and Ike made a face. "But if you're going to complain, I'll carry you like I used to. You refused to learn how to walk, after all."

"I-I did not!" Ike began blushing furiously and Soren quickly muffled a snicker. "He's exaggerating, Soren. Don't listen to him."

"Fine thing to accuse your father of." Greil laughed, though, and Ike just looked away, terribly embarrassed. "Well, I suppose I'll have some mercy on account of the trip. How are you doing, Soren?"

"I am well," Soren replied, shaking his head. He then scowled, just a little. "Do I look as if I am having difficulties?"

"Soren, if there is one thing I've learned in the three years you've been with us, it's that you are probably the only living being who can out-stubborn me," Greil replied, with just a smidge of dryness. Ike hid a smile behind his hand. "Meaning I know better than to trust my eyes when it comes to your health."

"...I am fine still." Soren looked away, uncertain unease crossing over his face briefly. Ike caught his eye and smiled to reassure him. "I've dealt with worse."

"Doesn't mean you're fine, but I'll back off. Just let us know if you need to be carried or ride or something, all right?" Greil patted Soren on the back. "Your health is important, you know."

"...Thank you."

I thought about eavesdropping a bit more, because there wasn't much else to do while I waited for them to trudge their slow way down the path. But I noticed Elincia was still tense, her expression almost stony save for the frustration in her eyes. I waited to see if anyone else would notice, but they were too busy talking with each other. So, I jumped down to walk beside her. Just sorta… being there? I wasn't sure what else to do.

But it was apparently enough, because after a moment, Elincia whispered, "Laguz." She bit her lip like she was keeping back a flood of words. "Laguz. They're called 'laguz'. Not sub-human. That is a term crafted by those with such an inferiority complex that they must don a mask of superiority in order to feel good about themselves. But that doesn't change that they are pathetic, and that the laguz are _laguz_. They are our equals, and always have been. Not lesser or beneath us. So much horror in this world has come from the lack of understanding between beorc and laguz."

"I suppose that is true," I replied, uncertain if I should even say anything. But she was right. That Serenes kingdom was burnt because idiotic beorc didn't even understand that herons were incapable of fighting. Well, heron laguz. I had heard Heron-herons could attack just fine, and ate fish. Not sure why the heron laguz were so frail. "Still, quite the lengthy rant."

"And… well, I know from my parents that Crimea's friendship with Gallia tends to be restricted to just the royal family. My father wanted to help bridge that gap, and I… I had wanted to help so much, even hidden as I was." All anger faded for pain and sorrow. "It's no wonder Daein attacked us…"

"Oh?"

"Daein is known for massacring laguz in regular hunts. Their hatred of laguz is well-known, even to me." She smiled bitterly. "The attack was unexpected, but the motivations are obvious. It's not the first time Daein and Crimea have clashed either." She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. "I've noticed you use 'laguz', though. Thank you for that."

"That's… not something to thank someone for." It wasn't… well, I did think beorc and laguz as 'equals'. As in I hated them both equally. Saying that one was beneath the other was like saying one was better, and that was just nonsense. Being horrible in slightly different ways didn't mark one as morally superior or anything. "I think Greil and Titania are of similar mind to you."

"I hope so. I like both of them."

Silence fell… sort of. Both of us walked silently, but everyone else continued to chatter about this and that. Plants, weather, old stories, someone's plans to try and charm Elincia… things I was quickly associating with this group, loud enough to scare most animals away. But not all. A flicker of movement in the corner of my eye drew my attention to a deer leaping through the undergrowth. Distant, probably far enough to feel safe, but within my range and well-within my sight. Given what Greil said to Shinon earlier, I aimed and fired without thinking about it, threading the arrow through the trees to catch the deer in the throat. Then I left the path to confirm the kill (and put it out of its misery if it wasn't dead). One deer probably wasn't enough for a group like this (especially given how much Ike seemed to eat), but if Shinon was half as good at hunting as he was at being surly, he'd bring back another or two. That… should be enough, right? I'd only ever hunted for myself. And there were a lot of people.

"Thalia?" Startled, I whirled and saw Elincia had followed me. Why, I had no idea. But there she was, pulling her skirts away from the brambles that had latched on. "That's… a deer," she commented. "We're quite a distance…" She looked back to where the path was… well, still well visible for me. "Wow… um…"

"We'll carry it back to the others," I said, checking the deer over. Male, and nothing that looked like signs of sickness or anything. Some fleas and ticks, but those could be easily dealt with and, more importantly, it was dead. "Should help with the food tonight, right?" The blood looked okay too as I dug into the wound to wiggle the arrow out. Certainly flowed right. "And… there." Arrow free, I petted the soft fur on its neck before patting its head. "Thank you, deer."

"Um…" And Elincia was staring at me like I was crazy. Well, by beorc standards, I probably was. "Are you… thanking it for dying?"

"Sort of?" I shrugged, not quite sure what to say. As was quickly becoming 'normal' for my days. "It's more that I'm thanking it for feeding me. The fur will be very warm and soft as well, which is nice because the nights are still cold despite it being spring." I stroked the fur again, this time on the flank. "It's just a habit. I used to feel bad for hunting, even though it was the only way I could survive." Was that too much information? I…

"Oh." After a moment, she crouched down next to me and petted the deer's neck, uncaring of the bright red blood on her hands. "Thank you then, deer."

I… didn't expect her to do that. Was it a polite thing to mimic or something? Beorc were weird.

* * *

Shinon returned with a campsite location and a deer, so we had cooked deer for dinner. Or 'venison' as they called it. For some reason. Why use a different word for it? That made no sense to me. But it did to them apparently, so whatever. Food was food, and since they handled the cooking, I didn't complain. But I couldn't get why they all insisted on talking while eating. And talking around a fire afterwards. Talking, talking, talking… seriously, were these people ever quiet? Worst part was that their voices were all distinct, so I couldn't ignore really ignore them. And the information was useless. Fascinating, sure. But useless.

"Hey, thanks for fixing it, Soren," Ike mumbled sheepishly, easily heard despite him being on the other side of the fire from me (and conveniently away from where Gatrie and Shinon were chatting with Oscar by the horses). Soren, seated next to him, shrugged off the gratitude and continued to mend a tear in the stuffed lion toy Ike apparently owned. I thought it was a lion, at least. Looked like a lion laguz. Of course, I'd never seen a child's toy in that shape before, so maybe I was wrong. "It must've caught on something while we were heading out."

"Seriously, Ike, it's fine," Soren dismissed, focused far more on his sure and even stitches. I had to admit that it _was_ interesting to watch him sew. I mean; it was so weird that you fixed something by stabbing it repeatedly with a sharp object. "Though, when did you get this anyway? Some of the cloth is worn, so I know it's been a while."

"Like most thing involving the past, the answer is sadly 'I have no idea'." Ike shrugged, and Soren smiled just a little sadly. Wondered if the reason why Soren was so loyal was in those lost memories. Not that it was my business. "Mist, however, doesn't remember a time I haven't had it, and Father told me that I got it when I was small. So, before Mist was born, maybe?"

"You would've been very small, then. There's only two years age difference between you?"

"Yeah, and both of us are 'late bloomers' for extra fun. Father says we got that from him." Ike shrugged and nodded to the toy. "Is it weird for me to keep holding onto it?"

"I wouldn't know." Yeah, Soren probably didn't have many toys growing up. "However, I will say that it suits you."

"...I think you're making fun of me now."

"Of course not." However, Soren smiled faintly, still sewing. He was going back over the tear, maybe to make it more secure? I had no idea. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the mischievous smile."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I swear; it's only when Soren talks to Ike that he acts his age." Strangely, Greil sat down next to me, tearing me away from my eavesdropping. Of course, I could only blink at him in 'reply', because what the hell was I supposed to say to that? "How are you holding up, Thalia?" he asked, as if that had anything to do with what he was saying before. Was this normal for conversations? "Are your feet okay? We didn't have time to snag you some spare shoes."

"I can't remember the last time I wore shoes," I replied, because it… was true? I had been barefoot the night Father died. No reason to wear shoes in the house, and we had been getting ready for bed anyway. I mean; logically, I had worn shoes that morning, but I didn't… never mind. "It's fine."

"You've lived in the forest for a while, then."

"Since I was eight, yes."

"I see." He studied me a bit, focused on my hair. "A while ago, I saw something white in the woods. Mist said it was the 'forest fairy', but…"

"Yes, it was me. She and Rolf had been captured recently, so I wanted to make sure."

"They had, but how did you know that?"

"Happened to be near. Shinon is a good shot." I had been prepared to shoot, just in case, but thankfully, I hadn't needed to get involved in that. I couldn't wait to get back to my solitary life. It was much more peaceful and less confusing. "People started attaching that old story to me because I have a habit of keeping an eye on people."

"That's kind of you."

"Not really." If people went missing, then more would come through trying to find them. Meaning they'd tromp about with no regard to anything, chasing away potential prey and trampling wild vegetables and berries. Plus just being loud and annoying. "Did you need something?"

"I was curious about how much farther." He shrugged, still focused on me. He had very sad eyes, I noticed. No wonder Mist worried. "I can take a guess, but I've never gone to Gallia through the forests before."

"You lot move slower than me on my own, and you need more rests, but if I had to guess…" I bit my lip, trying to think. "Two more rests. Maybe three."

"We'll make it three. More than likely, Daein has soldiers on the border, so we need to be rested."

"If you say so." I glanced over to where Elincia was playing some sort of game with Rhys, Rolf, and Boyd. "Why are they after her anyway?"

"There's many reasons. One is, of course, making sure the people have no one to rally behind for a rebellion. Another is, of course, killing the king and marrying an heir to turn the conquest into something 'legitimate'." He sighed heavily. "Knowing Ashnard, it's the first, but we can't ignore the second."

"...I don't understand any of that." My head was spinning. "All the political stuff… I don't get any of it." It all just seemed like nonsense beorc made up to have more excuses to kill each other.

"Sadly, you're hip-deep in the political bullshit for now, like the rest of us." He looked over at the group by the campfire, focused on Ike (still talking to Soren) and Mist (who was having her hair brushed by Titania). "I had hoped to keep them out of things like this."

"Your children?"

"Of course." Ike and Mist are my everything. I have no need of anything else, so long as they are happy and alive." He rubbed at his wrist, and I noticed quite a bit of scarring there. So, I frowned, paying attention, and I noticed he couldn't bend his fingers properly. Specifically, his pinky and ring finger couldn't bend fully. "Well, that's not quite true. All of us are family. I'd prefer it if we were all fine. But I know better than to ask too much from the goddess. She doesn't think the same way mortals do." ...Well, that was the first time I had ever heard of something even somewhat derogatory about… wait, no, not quite true. Father had as well. Or maybe he had just disagreed with the priests? I couldn't remember. I think he was part of a temple once, though. Maybe.

Thankfully, Greil left me be then, and began walking around the fire, talking quietly with everyone. Making sure they were okay. He had done that during every rest, and for some reason, I was no exception to that. It had been the first time he had sat with me, of course, to have an extended conversation, but he kept watch over everyone. Reminded me of Father when we had patients in the back room...

"Thalia!" Mist skipped over, freshly brushed hair bouncing with the movement. "Thalia, Titania was wondering if you'd mind if she brushed your hair," she explained, giggling at me. Behind her, Titania was trying to get her attention, like she _had_ been wondering… but hadn't actually intended to ask. "Come on! She's really good!" She grabbed my hands and pulled me over before I could think of how I was supposed to refuse. Meaning that I was in front of Titania before I could blink. "You have such pretty hair, Thalia!"

"She's quite right, but I've noticed you never do anything with it," Titania murmured, carefully dividing my hair into sections. She was much gentler than I usually was; I typically just ripped tangles out when they got annoying. "Goodness, so many tangles… why keep it so long?"

"Hard enough stealing bows and arrows without finding knives?" I answered, not sure why it was a big deal. Or why it was important. "What I did have, and what sharp rocks I could find, were used to skin animals and things like that." Fur tasted bad, as did some organs. Others were fine, though.

"Steal?" She began carefully brushing my hair, starting with the ends before moving up. I considered asking why, but… but then I had a flicker of a memory. Of Father brushing my hair and fending off Mother's attempts to steal the brush because 'you are too rough, Kali!' or something. So, instead, I just pulled my knees to my chest and focused on that memory. I had so few… "I suppose that solves the mystery of the disappearing shirts."

"Most of that was whoever was pinning the laundry not doing it well or something and the pieces flying off in the wind. I rarely took from you lot." Stealing from well-armed and highly skilled fighters just seemed stupid. I didn't spend so many years surviving just to get stabbed over a shirt. "I only stole when I needed to, though."

"That is kind of you."

"No, not really." Why did these people default to 'kindness' as an explanation? I didn't want anything to do with beorc. Stealing from beorc required having something to do with them. Simple, yes? Not to mention I'd seen what beorc do to thieves who got caught. I liked having my fingers. And my hands. "Do you brush everyone's hair?"

"When they let me. So, mostly just Mist. And Shinon when he's too tired."

"Or hung over?"

"He's much better than he used to be." That didn't answer my question? Oh, maybe it had been rude to bring it up at all? "Ah, but I've been meaning to say that your feather is very pretty." She continued brushing my hair, easily getting the tangles out, and then carefully braided my feather into my hair, nice and tight. "It is a bit larger than I am used to seeing, though." Well, that was because it was from a laguz. Even their smallest feathers were large. "What kind of bird is it from?"

"I got it from my mother." Though, it had sort of been on accident. It had stuck to my clothes after I buried her and I had held onto it for comfort in the cold days afterwards. Even now, the soft feather hitting my cheek was a reminder of her and Father.

"I see." Titania went back and braided it even more securely. She even tied it there with a small hair tie. "What were your parents' names, by the way? Do you remember?"

"I…" Names… what _had_ been their names? I vaguely remembered Father calling Mother 'Kali'... and it was short for her full name… ah, that was right. Her name had been Kaliana. Father's name had been… um… Percy? Mother had rarely used his name, always endearments. 'Percy' actually might've been a shortened form of his name too… "Why do you ask?"

"I'm an orphan myself. I know how hard it is to remember anything without some sort of prompting or question." ...Oh. "Most of us here don't have parents to speak of. Rhys is the exception to that." She chuckled and tied off my braid. "I've gotten into a habit of asking those sorts of questions to help other remember. And myself, because it always makes me think of my own parents. Sorry for being nosy."

I had no idea how to reply to that, but thankfully, I didn't have to. Mist dragged a hesitant Elincia over and before long, Titania began brushing her hair as well, the two soon chatting over something that had been in Melior or whatever. I just quickly returned to the outskirts of the camp, away from everyone, and went back to watching. This was way too much interaction for me...

Just a little longer… then I'd be back to my quiet life. I couldn't wait.

* * *

Surprisingly, my estimation skills were decent. Three rests later, we made it to the edge of the forest. Through the branches, I could see the river that served as a natural boundary between Gallia and Crimea. And soldiers. I assumed they were soldiers, at least. They were heavily armored people.

"Why do they all wear the same color?" I asked quietly, frowning a bit as I waited for the others to catch up. It was difficult to count because I half-swore I was looking at the same person, who had multiplied. Maybe they budded, like fungi. Growing all over the place… could also be like those fungi I saw in ants sometimes. Where the fungi burst out of their body. "It isn't even a very subtle color." Black and red, with the emblem of a wyvern. Same as the ones who tried to kidnap Elincia, and the ones who attacked the mercenaries in their home.

"You wouldn't think you're hard to find, Thalia, but I suppose I need to remember to look higher than most would climb," Greil commented from below. I glanced down and saw he had walked ahead, probably to catch a bit of sunlight and cooler winds. Those two things, more than anything, showed that we were near Gallia at last. "So, do we have company?"

"Um… yes?" I frowned and pointed to the others coming down the path. "Are they not company?"

"Sorry, that was a figure of speech." Greil shook his head and nodded to the exit. "I was asking if Daein's soldiers were here."

"Oh." Well, that was weird. Why not just say that? "They're the ones with black and red armor that stand out, right? Why are they like that anyway? Are they trying to proclaim themselves as 'poisonous'?"

"Nothing so complex. They wear similar armor as a show of unity, and Daein's colors are black and red." He turned to the others, signaling them to stop and wait, so I didn't get to ask why they would want the 'show of unity'. Or why the mercenaries all wore different things. "So, we have soldiers. Big surprise. Everyone, arm up." Everyone scrambled to do just that, and Greil focused his attention on Soren. "Soren, we need a plan."

"Without knowing their numbers, it would be difficult to advise a course of action," Soren murmured, absently flipping through his tome. He then looked up at me, and I shrugged, catching the silent question. I could _try_ to count, but I already knew it wouldn't be accurate. There were too many places to hide. "I'm not sure…"

"Just give me your best guess, Soren," Greil replied. Though his expression was stoic, I felt like he was smiling anyway? Just something about the certainty in his tone. "I know it will be exactly what we need."

"...Some of our number cannot fight, so we absolutely cannot be caught. We will not be able to defend them." Though Soren's own expression didn't change, his posture became a little straighter. "Thus, I propose we split into two groups. A small fighting force, three or four at most, to engage the enemy and hold their attention while the rest head for Gallia at full speed."

"And you believe this is best?" Greil held up a hand to stop others from protesting. Not that many were. Most were double-checking their weapons and armor. "We _are_ a small group as it is."

"But a small group can _act_ like a larger force, and we already know the enemy is expecting a small group of mercenaries escorting the princess." Soren closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. The wind blew a little, playing with his hair. "Gallia's close ties with Crimea are well known. Princess Elincia escaping to there has to be a scenario they have considered, so we have to assume there is some sort of ambush. We are risking being caught between that ambush and our pursuers, which would be the end of us all. Thus, I believe this plan will minimize casualties."

"We'll give it a go, then." Greil nodded and glanced briefly at Titania. She nodded back, catching some sort of silent question. "All right, distraction team is Shinon, Gatrie, and me. The rest of you will continue on." There was a minor bit of 'arguing' between Ike and Shinon, but Greil ignored it. "Now, listen up everyone." Instead, he kept on talking and made sure to look each of them in the eyes, and all of them stood a little straighter for it. "This will probably be the biggest battle we've ever faced, so I will remind you of two things. One, you only have one life. Two, we are a family. So, here's an order to all of you." His expression became even more serious. "Live. I don't want any of you dying on me, and I know none of you want to cause your family grief. So, live." Greil nodded at Ike. "Ike, you're in charge of the main force. Titania will be your support." Though many in the group frowned, Titania was unsurprised. This was what she had agreed to earlier, then. Had to be. "All right, get moving. We'll meet again in Gallia."

Almost everyone followed the orders, splitting up to head off the path. However, Mist and Ike didn't. Instead, they both went straight to their father, and Ike gestured for Mist to go first. So, I sat on the branch I was on, and watched her hug him very tightly.

"Here!" she said, quickly tucking something into Greil's pocket. Too quickly for me to get a good view of it. "For good luck! You can give it back when we see each other again!" Despite the cheerfulness of her words, she was frowning, and that frown only softened when Greil hugged her and kissed her head. "No losing it!"

"Of course," Greil reassured. He then nudged her towards the others, their path easily visible thanks to all the broken shrubbery and branches. "Love you, Mist. See you soon." Mist nodded and rushed off, not looking back once. "Ike, I would've thought you'd go on ahead."

"I had a question," Ike replied, frowning. He fiddled with his sleeves, trying to hide his nerves for some reason. "Are you sure you should put _me_ in charge? I'm…"

"Titania prefers the supporting position, you know to rely on her, and you get the quickest answers from Soren." Greil narrowed his eyes as Ike tried, and failed, to smile. "All right, pup, what's really bothering you?"

"Just… worried. All of this is..."

"You are nowhere near old enough to be worrying about me, and I'm not old enough for you to anyway." He rested his hands on Ike's shoulders. "Ike, this is just to help you get some experience. You'll lead this group one day, after all."

"I'm half-convinced you're immortal, so…"

"Who said anything about me dying? I plan to retire eventually, and then cause all sorts of trouble for you." Greil smiled and Ike managed a quiet laugh. "It's less controlled experience than I'd like, truthfully, but this all accelerated a lot of things. But you have people to rely on."

"...Okay." Ike took a deep breath and rested his head briefly on his father's shoulder. Then he straightened and nodded. "Until we're together again, Commander."

"Until then." Greil watched Ike leave and then looked up at where I was sitting. "I apologize, Thalia, as I'm sure you're in a hurry to get away from us crazy idiots, but can you guide them for a while longer?"

"...Yeah, I can do that," I replied after a moment. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to, but I appreciated that he understood I was here under mild protest and… well, he reminded me a little of my father. Just in how he did his best by the people around them, and made sure they were safe. ...And in how he did his best for his children. I hadn't seen either trait in other beorc before. "I'll stay with them until you get back."

"Thank you," he murmured, smiling faintly. Then he abruptly turned and left to follow Shinon and Gatrie. And I jumped from branch to branch to catch up to the others.

It wasn't hard or anything. Titania's hair could practically be a beacon in the dark, not to mention Rhys's clothes (how they stayed so pristine white, I had no idea) and Elincia's dress. And, you know, how there were two horses who barely knew how to walk through forests on beaten paths, much less while tromping through the undergrowth. When I did catch up, I began leading them again, to another good 'exit' point I knew. It wasn't the best, because there wasn't a village near, but it was still good and was near a couple of bridges. Unfortunately, though, the bridges were… occupied. Those soldiers were there. Did these beorc really have nothing better to do? Like stabbing babies or something?

"Well, they're in the way," I noted, frowning as I did a quick count. And then counted again, to be sure. "There's at least thirty. I think there are still a few hiding in the trees past the river." I looked down at the others, seeing how grim their expressions were. "I can do another count if you want.

"No, that's fine, but there are so many…" Soren murmured, unease creeping onto his face. Ike rubbed his back to reassure him. "I would've thought them more spread out. They must've anticipated where we would exit… and the conquest of Crimea is proceeding more quickly than ideal."

"That or they snuck people ahead of time," Ike pointed out, glancing at Elincia. She was pale, and maybe a little green. Rhys handed her some ginger to suck on. "Regardless, though, they're here. Should we rethink our strategy?"

"No, we've already split up." Soren sighed and fiddled with his hair. "It's too late to reconsider now."

"So, we modify," Oscar murmured, patting Soren on the back. He then nodded to Rolf, Mist, and Elincia. "We need to make sure they get across first. How?"

"There are two bridges…" Soren began, frowning. He glanced up at me, and I nodded, confirming. They were fairly close together, but not so much that you couldn't divert attention. Or so I thought. "And these thickets extend to the westernmost bridge."

"Diversion again?"

"Yes, we can launch a quick surprise attack and hold their attention while Mist and Rolf take the princess to the eastern bridge."

"Why hide, though?" Boyd asked, frowning a bit. He shrugged off Soren's scowl. "Won't we be a better distraction if we're out in the open?"

"I'm sure you'll be a great distraction with arrows sticking out of your corpse," Soren drawled, back to being completely amused. Boyd grimaced. "Besides, they will be slowed by the branches and it'll make it harder for them to guess our numbers. That should allow us to distract more of them in a shorter amount of time."

"Soren, we really need to work on you showing respect to your elders."

"When you actually act older than me, I might consider it." Soren looked to Titania then. "I will admit to being worried about you and Oscar. Horses are not suited to this sort of terrain."

"We're not, but I can focus on keeping Rhys safe," Titania reassured, gesturing to him for emphasis. Rhys smiled and nodded. "Oscar can focus on either Boyd or you. That'll keep us from getting too tangled until we're out of the trees."

"Sounds like we have our plan," Ike noted. He rolled his shoulders and drew his blade. "Okay, so…"

"Um… my lord Ike?" Elincia began hesitantly. She waited for him to look at her before continuing. "I… I can fight with you, so…"

"...No, you won't." Ike shook his head. "I can't expose you to such danger. Not when everyone is risking their lives for your safety. Please, understand."

"I… no, of course…" Elincia looked down, biting her lip. I thought she looked ashamed or something, and didn't know why. "I'm sorry. Forgive my selfishness."

"It's fine. Just leave the fighting to the mercenaries."

"With that said, here." Titania stepped in and gave Elincia a… surprisingly dainty looking sword, considering that she favored axes. "It's old, but it'll serve," she explained. "I actually received that from Duke Renning during my training. It no longer suits me, but it should work for you."

"It's almost hard to imagine you wielding such a thin weapon, Lady Titania," Elincia murmured, holding the sword up to inspect it. Her grip was hesitant, but she did seem to know what she was looking for. Whatever it was. "Actually, I never would've thought you would wield a rapier, if I may be honest."

"I used to be as frail as Soren, one time. I wasn't born this strong, after all." She rested a hand on Soren's head, who scowled. "That's just in case something unexpected happens. I hope you won't have to use it."

"Of course."

Might've just let them talk a little more, but movement caught my eye, so I instead looked out again, frowning when I noticed the movement was some retreating. "We got some heading down the river, towards where Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie went," I told them, doing a quick count. "Eighteen now."

"Sounds like it's time to move, then," Ike noted. He then looked to Mist and Rolf. "We're counting on you two to help Princess Elincia, okay?"

"Don't worry, we've got it!" Rolf reassured, smiling confidently. I saw his hands shake at his sides, though. "We'll pretend it's like hide-and-seek. Mist and I are the best at that."

"That you are," Oscar agreed. He walked over to squeeze Rolf's shoulder, no doubt having seen his nerves too. "Make sure you scare Boyd when you pop out, okay?"

"Okay!" Rolf laughed, and then everyone joined in when Boyd squawked in protest. "See you soon!"

There wasn't much talking after that. Instead, we all just got into our groups and went to work. My job was very simple: shoot anything I could. Which lead me to a conclusion I never thought of before. Battles were strangely like hunting, except the 'prey' was too stupid to run away from danger when one of theirs fell. Though, I supposed beorc would look down on you eating the people you shot. Not really sure why, since beorc were made of meat and water just like animals. Of course, given how vile they were, that might affect the taste… meh, not something I wanted to try.

Regardless, it was like longer hunting with more targets that ran into danger without regards to any sort of sanity. Because of that though, it was messier. A lot messier, actually, with all the blood gushing all over the place and churning up mud. Plus, it was horribly loud too. Hunting was often very quiet, or at least, _my_ hunting was. Here? Seemed like everyone was screaming and crying. And blech, the smell. In what felt like a handful of blinks, the air was rank with a stench equivalent to a thousand or more animal carcasses left to rot. How people adapted to such conditions to fight and kill over stupid reasons was absolutely beyond me.

So, I focused on other things, picking my targets and making sure I didn't accidentally shoot one of the mercenaries. And adjusting my position to keep the light out of my eyes. Water reflected light well, and we were by a river. But there were plenty of trees and branches to shoot from, and I could even keep an eye on Elincia, Rolf, and Mist as they snuck along the edges of the battle, creeping ever so slowly towards the far bridge.

When I saw them cross, I jumped down from my perch and made my way over to where Ike was distracting an axe-wielding soldier for Oscar to skewer. Apparently, he had trouble against axes, unlike Ike. I wasn't sure why, since Oscar was on a horse and had a long reach with his lance compared to Ike (on his own feet and wielding a sword), but I supposed it didn't matter. They killed the guy, and that was what mattered.

"Ike," I called, walking over. Funny how mud made from blood was little different than mud made from anything else. Well, maybe it was a little redder. But it felt the same on my feet, cold and squishy. "The three are across."

"Are they? Good," Ike replied, sighing in relief. He had blood smeared on his face and neck, and was bleeding from a couple of gashes on his arms. "Then it's time we also cross and escape." He looked down at my feet and sighed again. "And we need to get you some shoes."

"Why? I'm fine."

"You… uh… actually, never mind. Don't look down." He facepalmed then. "Wait, why did I say that? Now you're going to look down."

"Am I supposed to?" I did, curious, and saw I was standing in between the two halves of a person. Probably cleaved by Boyd, since he wasn't far away getting treated by Rhys, but I supposed it could've also have been Titania, who was far ahead with Soren. No idea when she and Oscar left the trees. I was more focused on not shooting allies. "Oh. Huh."

"...No reaction to standing amidst organs?"

"What's the difference between beorc and animal organs?" These people confused me. "But you said we should leave?"

"Ah, yes, right." He nodded. "Follow me across. Archers aren't good in close range, right?"

"I can punch people." Though, I supposed I never punched anyone in armor. Probably more difficult. "Or… ah, wait, this is where I'm supposed to thank you, isn't it?"

"Hell if I know. Manners isn't my area of expertise." Still, Ike smiled, so I guessed I wasn't too far off or anything. "This way."

"Behind you."

Ike cut down a couple more enemy soldiers, and I decided as we ran across the western bridge that either I had miscounted or reinforcements arrived because there seemed to be more than eighteen soldiers. Including the bodies stuffed underneath the bridge itself, twisting and contorting as the water tried to force them past, but they couldn't roll or anything because there were just so many. Would've thought they'd sink with the armor, but I supposed the things weren't as heavy as they looked. As I passed, I stepped on one's chest to help them under. And used the next couple of bodies as stepping stones to get closer to a tree and climb up for a better vantage point. After all, Ike was charging forward to go after a noticeably more trained and armored soldier who was tried to decapitate Soren. Titania was dealing with someone trying to cut off her horse's leg.

"Are you the leader of this rabble?" better-armed-soldier demanded, catching sight of Ike and ignoring Soren. Thinking that was stupid, I just focused on shooting the one giving Titania a mildly difficult time. "I will not allow you to take one step more!"

"Then I've no choice but to cut you down and walk over you!" Ike retorted Why bother with talking? He could've killed him thrice by now. Which Soren proved by casting a wind spell to slice off their arms. "Thanks, Soren!" And Ike took advantage of their shock to kill them. "That should do it. Everyone! Move!"

Ike didn't even need to say anything. After all, with the enemy leader dead, the soldiers were in disarray. It was like they were sheep or something, except with more screaming and panic. So, we were easily able to escape in the chaos, quickly putting distance between us and the river. We didn't stop until the river was out of their sights. I could still see it, but there was no reason to bring that up. It wasn't like we were being followed. They were running back towards Crimea.

"We got everyone?" Ike asked, using his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face. Most raised a hand weakly or something, exhausted by the fighting. Titania and Oscar were checking over their horses, with Rhys helping them. "Good… I don't know how, but we made it…"

"Ike!" And just to prove his words, Mist appeared from some nearby trees to tackle Ike with a hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. "Oh, thank goodness," she murmured, clinging to him. Ike just hugged her back, patting her head. "We made it! We're in Gallia!" She stepped back and smiled at everyone before looking a little curious. "You know… I thought it would feel different, but it actually feels a bit familiar?"

"Well, our home was just on the other side of the forest." Ike ruffled her hair and looked at the others, before focusing on Elincia. Rolf was having to help her extract her skirt from the brambles. She seriously needed less 'catching' clothes. "Princess Elincia, are you well?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Elincia reassured, smiling at everyone in relief. She still held the rapier, and when she tried to give it back to Titania, Titania only shook her head. "I am pleased to see you are all well."

"...No, not all of us yet." Ike looked over everyone, and there was some sort of determination in their eyes. Like they knew, and agreed, with… something. "As such I am afraid we're parting ways here."

"Pardon?"

"We're going to aid our companions. So, I want you to continue to the castle with Rolf and Mist."

"But that-"

"No way!" Mist protested, glaring up at Ike. Ike, however, was unmoved. Nearby, Rolf was having a similar argument with Oscar and Boyd. "I'm staying with you, Ike!"

"Mist, we have to do it this way to ensure we all get home alive," Ike replied sharply. Mist immediately winced and looked down. "Hey, it's Father and me. Have we ever broken a promise to you? Have we ever not come back?"

"...Well…" She sighed. "Oh, fine. We'll go ahead. But if you're not back soon, I'm coming after you."

"Probably with a lecture or ten." Ike looked to me then. "And you, Thalia? What will you do?"

"Me?" I asked, startled. I had kind of assumed they'd… I don't know. "I'll head with you. Greil asked that I would, after all." And even without that promise, I couldn't just leave them. Yes, I wanted to get away from their loudness and weirdness, but… "So, where do you want me to guide you?"

"Firstly, back to where we separated from the others," Soren answered. He raised an eyebrow, the only indication that he thought I was being stupid for not seizing the chance to get away. I just shrugged. "From there, we'll guess. There should surely be some sort of fortress or something. Or a patrol who hopefully won't eviscerate us or ignore us. Not likely on either, of course, but weirder things have happened." Like getting caught up in all of this. "If we're quick, we can catch up and hopefully not get caught in protracted battles."

"Then we're moving out," Ike ordered. He ruffled Mist's hair again. "We'll be together again before you know it, okay? Stay safe."

I walked a short distance away then, thinking of where Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie might be. I expected the group to do extensive goodbyes, like what I had seen in the villages, and I _was_ the outsider. However, to my surprise, they… didn't. Instead, it felt like I had blinked and they were all going down their separate paths, ready to go. And 'go' they did, with the mercenaries quickly _passing_ me on the way back to the forest.

But I couldn't immediately follow. Mist snagged my sleeve before I could, and waited for me to look at her. "Be careful, Thalia," she whispered. Her normal smile wasn't on her face, but the earnestness in her eyes showed she truly meant the words. "And thank you for watching out for them. We'll see you soon, okay?" She turned and ran then, joining Elincia and Rolf down the road, none of them looking back. It took me a couple seconds of staring to properly process that despite my being the outsider, despite not knowing her for but a handful of days… she had wished me well just as she did the people she called 'family'.

What the hell was I supposed to make of these beorc? Did all the weird ones congregate into a pack or something?

* * *

 _Ike, 17_

 _The son of Greil and his pride and joy. He's grown up in the mercenary environment, and helped by tending to everyone's weapons and armor prior to being on the field. He's noted for his kindness and his easy acceptance of everyone, with an adaptability that works well with the mercenary life. However, he hasn't traveled that much, so he's still learning a lot about the world and relies on the others to make up for his lack of knowledge_

 _He fights with an unusual style of swordsmanship, one not seen anywhere in Crimea. In fact, no one seems to be able to identify where it is from at all, but it was taught to him by his father and further refined by Titania's training. The result is a well-balanced fighter who will likely be a force on the battlefield just like his teachers, once he gets some more experience._

 _He has few memories of his mother or of life before his mother's death, losing them due to the trauma of bearing witness to his mother's brutal death at 'the hands of a madman', or so his father has told him. Though he is curious about it, he doesn't ask questions due to the cold ache in his chest whenever he does try to remember._

* * *

Author's notes: I don't think Ike's age is officially mentioned in game, but it's from the questions section on the official site. His lack of memory involving his mother and early life is, surprise-surprise, actually a minor plot point, and I'm using trauma as a reason for why no one really questions it. Why does Ike have a lion plushie? You can blame a random comic I saw briefly on tumblr.

Also have Elincia reacting to Shinon's use of 'subhuman' for the laguz, because I thought that would be fun, and Mist being in the conversation about laguz. Ike's swordsmanship being unique is something that is mentioned in… at least one person's recruitment convo later in the game. Ike's supports with Titania mention that she helped refine the swordsmanship.

According to the official timeline, Daein asked both Begnion and Crimea for aid in invading Gallia in the year 410, and eventually waged war on Crimea when both refused. Crimea managed to hold them off, though, and the war ended in 425 (having 'officially' started in like… 420 or something, based on the notes). For context, FE9 takes place in the year 645.

The tendons along your forearm, wrist, hand, etc are known as the flexor tendons and extensor tendons, and if you injury them they a) don't often heal well on their own (because tendons are often under tension) and b) can lead to a whole mess of problems, including an inability to bend your fingers or thumb. The flexor tendons are also located near some important nerves, making even surgery risky.

Next Chapter - Shades of Evil


	3. Chapter 3) Shades of Evil

Chapter 3) Shades of Evil

* * *

 _How did I get into this situation? I should've just left immediately. But I remembered Father telling me that promises were important. 'No greater power than a promise kept, an oath fulfilled.' And these crazy beorc, with all their weirdness and loudness… they needed help. I couldn't just leave when I knew they needed help._

 _But it'll be over soon. Just have to find the wayward three, and then I could leave and never deal with beorc or laguz again. It was nothing but trouble._

* * *

"So, you're pretty good with a bow. Where did you learn?" This was the fifth time, at least, that Boyd spoke at me. Just as I had the previous four times, I didn't respond, but continued walking from tree to tree, looking for signs that someone had passed through the area. It was always easy to tell when an animal did and a clumsy beorc did. "And man, you jump from branch to branch like it's as easy as breathing!" I had no idea why he insisted on talking, or making strange observations. We were looking for his comrades, after all. Wouldn't that be easier if we were silent? "Don't you ever worry about falling or anything, though? You're up pretty high, after all. I'd give Rolf such a scolding if he climbed up that high." Did beorc have some sort of condition where they couldn't be silent lest they perish or something? This was why I wished I had simply gone alone to search, instead of being paired, but Ike had insisted no one go alone. "Uh… so… wait, wow, the branches aren't even moving!"

He didn't shut up once as we continued hunting for Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie. I remained silent the entire time, though, as it just made more sense to me. But with no signs of any sort of abnormal movement through the bushes and branches, we returned to the others. Based on their annoyed looks, I gathered they had no such luck either. Damn it… I wanted to find Greil quickly. Then I could get out of here and away from these people who didn't know how to be quiet.

"Any luck?" Ike asked when he saw Boyd and I return. He grimaced when Boyd shook his head and undid his headband. It had been slipping. "Damn it, where are they?"

"Who knows, but pursuing them any farther will be too dangerous for our small group," Soren informed him. He nodded to Titania and Oscar, who were tending to their horses. Their very sweaty, rather tired looking horses. Rhys was with them, actually checking the horses over, so I had a feeling they weren't feeling well. "I believe it would be best to return to Gallia and await them there. For all we know, they took another route into Gallia."

"And getting ourselves killed defeats the purpose of breaking away in the first place." Ike tied his headband back on. "I suppose we need to just trust them and withdraw."

"If we hurry, we might be able to catch up to Mist and Rolf. I'm sure you, Boyd, and Oscar would feel better."

"True, though I do wish we had everyone." Ike rolled his shoulders, wincing a little, and Soren immediately began rummaging through his pack before handing him a bottle of something. "I swear, Soren, you have more medicine on hand than Rhys!"

"He's also very good at making it!" Rhys commented, standing up and joining us. He smiled softly at Soren, who looked away. "I'll probably need your help whenever we finally settle down. If you don't mind, that is."

"It's more efficient and frugal to make the medicines ourselves," Soren replied, agreeing without quite agreeing. Rhys's smile didn't falter, hinting he was quite used to this behavior. I just stood nearby watching, wondering if this was how you were _supposed_ to talk to beorc. "I imagine it will be a bit before we can gather anything."

"I've picked up a few herbs on the way, but yes, it will."

"And here I thought you were having health issues with all your stopping," Ike noted, smiling slightly. Rhys made a face, and I wondered what they were talking about. "So… ah, Titania, is something wrong?"

"Not necessarily, but…" Titania began, rubbing her horse's neck. She was looking towards a ruined rubble of a fort not far away. Well, I assumed, since she could see it. "I thought I saw some movement there?" She continued staring that way for a moment before looking at the rest of us. "It could be a trick of the light, or some animal, but…"

"Won't hurt to investigate." Was it common among beorc to lie so blatantly? I could believe it, but… well, even a nestling could see through that lie. "Shall we?"

We lingered a bit longer to catch our breaths and to make sure the horses were fine before actually heading inside the fort. I didn't like it. Not only was the wind quiet and stale, it smelled dead. And it smelled like animals had long gotten used to traveling these halls like they were just another part of the grasslands or forests. And I quickly visually confirmed that as well, thanks to the scattered bones that showed the remains of one predator's meal and the various bits of droppings. Even saw a couple of dead animals, who had curled up for protection one last time before breathing out their last. If animals didn't fear dying here, then no beorc or laguz had been here in a while. Animals were smart like that. Smarter than me, at least.

"Well, based on the amount of dust and debris, I would say this fort has been abandoned for many years," Soren noted at some point. We had to stop because the dust had irritated Rhys into a coughing fit; Boyd rubbed his back soothingly. Ike and Oscar stood guard nearby. "Are you sure you saw something here, Titania?"

"I saw a shadow and movement, but I did mention it could've just been an animal," Titania replied with a sigh. She tugged gently on one of the rotting tapestries on the wall, perhaps to look at what embroidery remained. It fell apart at her touch, though. "Maybe a little bird or something. It was hard to gauge how large the shadow was."

"Are we in the area you saw it?"

"I think so, but I must've just been hopeful." She half-smiled. "Is this where you make a sarcastic comment about wasted time, Soren?"

"It's not a waste to investigate all possibilities, though in retrospect, only a couple of us should have scouted, while the rest continued on." He shrugged, not quite scowling. I thought it was just his default expression. "This would've been a good place to hide and wait. So, right now, I'm just annoyed that we were inefficient."

"Aw, are you trying to reassure me?"

"Perish the thought. Please." Still, Soren pointedly looked away, while Titania muffled a laugh. Though that didn't hide her smile. "Regardless, should we continue or leave?"

"Might be good to at least wait for Rhys. Swear this dust is going to make _me_ sneeze out my lungs."

Deciding this might take a while, since Rhys was struggling to breathe, I walked over to where Ike was, intending on asking if I could scout ahead or something. However, as I got close, I caught a flicker of movement down one of the darker halls and focused on it. Hard to see, thanks to the lack of light, but the 'movement' had been a torch dancing in the breeze… held by soldiers. Many soldiers, from what bits I could pick out, and coming closer.

"It seems that we simply started from a different part than them," I murmured, nudging Ike's leg with my foot. When he glanced at me, I pointed to where there was movement. He frowned, squinting, and I nearly kicked myself for forgetting that beorc eyes were weak. "It's hard to see, I know, but…"

"That's a torch, isn't it?" Ike asked, frowning deeper. I looked over and saw that they were rapidly approaching now. "Oh, hell. Should we hide?" Even as he asked that, there was no time. The soldiers had begun shouting, raucous voices echoing off the stone, and gesturing towards us. "Never mind. To arms, everyone!"

"...Um… yes, we have two arms?" I looked around in confusion, even as everyone else got ready for battle. No, none of us were missing any sort of limb, and from what I could tell, the soldiers had all their limbs intact as well. For now. "Why would you bring that up?"

"It's…" Ike gave me a weird look. "It's a different 'to'. As in 'to go someplace'."

"Ah." And 'armed' was another way to say 'battle ready'. Still a strange phrase. Beorc were weird. I wanted my quiet and easily understandable forest, please.

But for now, there was a battle and so, it was time to hunt beorc. That's all battles were. Louder, messier hunting. I wondered why beorc and laguz delighted in it. It was just so wasteful. Wasted energy, weapons, blood, meat… I saw no point to any of it. Well, no, I supposed there was _a_ point at the moment: survival. But we were only in this because… why? Why did it become this way? I doubted they wanted to eat us, and I doubted they wanted our things. They just wanted Elincia, like she was a pet or something. How pointless. They were dying for nothing. And dying they were. They might have numbers, but that just meant they were a bunch of idiots trying to pounce on a handful of prey. And knocking themselves over in their haste, leaving themselves wide open.

I watched Boyd cleave a couple unlucky soldiers into pieces and then brought up my bow and fired to take out another one with an arrow under the arm. I didn't understand beorc armor at all. While some were like Gatrie and were encased in metal from head to toe, others just wore metal over their chests, with the joints not very well protected at all. Then you had how their helmets often protected their heads, but not their squishy faces with equally squishy eyes. It seemed strange to me that they went with only partial protection. But I vaguely remembered Mother once saying that people often had 'reasons' for their madnesses. They could be stupid reasons, but there were some nonetheless. I hoped it was good enough to die. For nothing.

Movement behind and to the side caught my eye and I twisted to identify it. A strange girl, darting quickly from corner to corner, not wearing armor. In fact, she wore rather bright colors, some sort of orange-red. I didn't see the point in wearing something so eye-catching, unless you were poisonous. But she looked beorc and no matter how they acted, beorc weren't _literally_ poisonous. I think.

"Everything okay?" Ike asked, poking my shoulder. During the battle, I had stuck close to him, since his 'center point' made it easier to find prey. "Did you run out of arrows?" I looked down at my quiver and saw that no, I did have arrows still. "So…?" I pointed to the girl and he nodded. "Ah, got it. Weird person." And he left to go talk to her. I probably shouldn't have been surprised, but… "Hey!"

"Hmm? Ah, hey, yourself!" the girl replied, frowning at Ike. But after a moment, she tilted her head curiously, like a little owl. "Speaking of hey… your name wouldn't happen to be Ike, would it?" The girl grinned when Ike nodded. "Hiya! My name is Mia! I'm a mercenary hired by Crimea, but I got careless and got myself captured. Your dad just saved me, though."

"He did? So, he _is_ safe…" Ike breathed a sigh of relief before pointing to the exit. "I'm not sure how easy it'll be, but we can hold them while you get out of here."

"Wait, wait, wait… you're fighting Daein with _these_ numbers?" She made a show of looking around and counting before laughing. "Well, that settles that!"

"Settles… what exactly?" Ike frowned and held himself a little straighter. "Whatever head wound you took?"

"No, no, this battle! I'm going to help you all!" The girl laughed and drew her sword. Ike just stared, not that I could blame him. "So, where to, boss man?"

"Uh… to Soren, our tactician." Ike pointed to Soren, who had ducked back behind Boyd, frowning as he counted pages in his tome. "You know… I don't know if you'll be paid just because you fight here."

"We'll worry about those details later~! Now's the time to fight and survive!" She jumped into the battle without another word, darting through the enemies with ease. And ambushing those with their guard down.

"...Why do I always seem to find the weird ones?" Ike sighed, looking unamused. I tried to figure out if he was seriously asking or not. "Ah, whatever… Thalia, you mind focusing on the left side for a bit? I think their guard is weakest there, so we can push through and scatter them."

Shrugging, I did as he asked, picking out the weaker ones first. And gradually, I decided I hated armor. They made me waste arrows and take longer in shooting. Which I supposed was the point. But it was still… annoying. But I supposed it showed how weak I was, truly. I knew that, of course. Both beorc and laguz were more like 'pack animals' when it came to dynamics, for all that they insisted on mindless slaughter. That meant their true strength only came about when they worked with others. I supposed no matter how much of an abomination I was, I was still a child of beorc and laguz and subjected to those same 'laws'. I could see that with each failed kill, because it was one of the others who secured it. Soren with his wind, Titania and Boyd with their axes, Oscar with his lance… even that Mia girl joined in, felling foes with her sword just as Ike did.

But something strange occurred at a random point during the battle. The soldiers suddenly stiffened and stepped back, giving way to something. Someone, actually, as proven by the woman who stepped out of the back shadows. "Well, well…" she murmured, walking slowly towards us with the slow slink of a young idiot of a predator who was still learning that one shouldn't play with their prey. "Found you at last." She also wore the first real 'variation' I had seen among the Daein armor, a gold trim on black armor. She also… for some reason… had her armor set really low, meaning you got a good view of her breasts. Not a lot, certainly not enough for a heart shot, but it was still confusing. Was she planning on feeding a baby in the middle of combat? "You provided a lot more entertainment than I thought you would." But what most held my attention was… she was Branded. I knew it even before I saw the mark on the right side of her collarbone. A glance at Soren and his wide eyes confirmed it. "I would applaud, but that's for when the show is over."

"Who are you?" Ike asked, standing tall amidst the enemies and corpses. Tall and unafraid. I wasn't sure that was a smart thing. "Someone of high rank, clearly."

"Good eyes." The woman smiled slowly and leaned forward slightly. "My name is Petrine, boy. General Petrine, and my arrival marks your doom. Lament your fortune, for all hope is lost. You shall not leave this place alive."

"You sound like one of Gatrie's bad love poems. Well, a bit more morbid, but still." Then Ike did something I _knew_ was stupid. Ignore her to look at Soren, who joined him. "So? Since she's trying to outdo Gatrie…"

"General Petrine… is of the Four Riders, if I recall correctly," Soren murmured, frowning. No one moved or… anything. It was just talking now. "The strongest four warriors of Daein's army, and King Daein's most trusted advisors and confidants. They are a recent idea, something proposed by Ashnard back when he was just a prince, as a means getting 'new blood' into the upper ranks." Soren's eyes narrowed. I just… wondered how he rattled all that off so easily. "Petrine is the only woman among the most current iteration, but is said to have the strength of twenty soldiers and wields a lance enchanted with fire magic."

"My, my, how flattering," Petrine chuckled, smirking. I was reminded of the false smiles I had seen on the beorc's faces right before they attacked my home. "Why, I might go a little easy on you. But first, give me the princess. I can't roast her along with you all. I need to present her head to His Majesty."

"Much as I would love to oblige you, I can't," Ike replied coolly. He still held himself with no fear; I still thought that was stupid. "Princess Elincia is in Gallia, and has been for quite some time."

"She… what." Petrine's voice flattened and she tightened her grip on her lance. I… sincerely wondered just why we weren't trying to kill her? So, I began lining up a shot. At least, I did until Titania stopped me. Worse, she kept a grip on my arm. I didn't like that. At all. But I held still because punching her seemed like a bad idea. "Impossible. Mercenary scum like you can't have made it past my troops."

"Well…" Ike looked pointedly at the dead soldiers at his feet. I, however, diverted my attention to the farthest parts of the room, noticing some movement there. "Who were they, then?"

"You little…!"

"They say that blind arrogance sows its own field of destruction." Oh, _there_ was Greil. He was the source of the movement, as were Shinon and Gatrie. "I imagine they were talking about you," he continued, casually cutting down a soldier. A trail of bodies marked the trio's path through the halls, or so I barely made out. "Also, you dumb pup, what the hell are you doing here?"

"The mission isn't complete until we're all together, so we came to look for you once we got the princess to Gallia," Ike explained with a little smile. He was more relaxed now, and I now wondered if the 'unafraid' thing from before was… well, like when a cat puffs itself up. All fluff, no substance. "Hey, Titania agreed."

"What am I to do with all of you?" Greil sighed, but he smiled, relief and pride blatantly clear in his eyes. "You did well, though. Where's Mist and Rolf?"

"Escorting Princess Elincia deeper into Gallia. I figured Mist's good hearing and Rolf's complete inability to look threatening would assist them." And here _I_ thought he just wanted to get the two weaker ones to safety. "So, not here."

"Good lad." Greil looked over at Titania with one brow raised; she smiled in return. "You agreed? Really?"

"Ignoring me shows that you have more guts than common sense," Petrine growled, bringing the conversation back to her. Greil's expression flattened into impassiveness and, after a moment, Petrine laughed lowly. I glanced around curiously at everyone, wondering if anyone else was going to attack or anything, but it seemed like the others were using the time to heal up injuries. Or at least Rhys was. "Still, good eyes. You might just be another sellsword, but King Ashnard does have a passion for strong men."

"For those twisted games of his, yes?" Greil replied dryly. He certainly looked unimpressed; I just wondered why everyone kept talking. I mean… I would've if not for Titania keeping a grip on me. Didn't know why Soren wasn't. "The bloodsports with titles as the prize." He raised a brow and looked around. "Shinon, Gatrie, assist the others. Petrine, was it? Why don't we head elsewhere?"

"You think I'll fall for such a simple ruse?"

"Come now, it'll be fun. Going all out without any sort of distractions. This place is too small for a proper contest." Greil smirked then, and Petrine actually laughed. A proper laugh, with genuine amusement. "Not a chance I have too often, to go up against someone who can give me a challenge. I imagine you're the same."

"My, my, aren't you the charmer? You certainly know how to sweet talk a girl." Petrine laughed again. "Very well. Let's see if you live up to your talk, sellsword." Stiiiill didn't understand why we couldn't just shoot her. I had a great shot. Seemed like it would solve a lot of problems if I went ahead and did it. "Men, let none of them escape!" And Greil and Petrine disappeared down the darkened halls. When I had a _great_ view of her neck.

"You beorc make no sense," I grumbled under my breath, as the room, and battle, whirled into life again. Titania's little frown showed she had heard me. "You can let go of me now. I think I need to shoot _these_ ones." I supposed I could've just jerked myself out, but hey, beorc. Beorc were weird. "Why did you stop me?"

"The more she talked, the more time Rhys had to return everyone to full strength," Titania explained. I nodded, understanding that, at least. 'Packs' did have to look at things from the perspective of 'the whole'. "And she was powerful."

"Power means nothing." Only beorc and laguz were stupid enough to believe it did. "Power is nothing but a means to secure temporary relief from whatever ails you. Survival depends on other things." Like not talking a lot when someone had a bow with arrow in hand. And, apparently, like letting an idiot ramble so that your healer could mend wounds. "But I acknowledge your first reason. It's not something I considered, so I apologize." That's what you did when you almost made a mistake, right? And not giving Rhys time would've been a mistake, yes?

Titania's confused frown made me think that I didn't do something right, but there was no time. There were soldiers to kill, because they continued fighting. So, before she could explain, I left to join the battle and focused on shooting, prioritizing clearing a path between us and Gatrie and Shinon. I figured it would be easier to coordinate, and I was (maybe) proven right because one by one, the soldiers fell until there were none left. Not that we got out without injuries, of course. Gatrie had to get some extensive healing because one of their mages decided to try searing him in his armor. Waste of time, really. Because of the distraction, Ike was able to kill the mage and it's not like Gatrie would've tasted good. I would've just focused on burning his head off personally, but then again, I wasn't a mage. Hawks weren't exactly known for magic. Neither here nor here, though. It did mean that we all lingered among the bodies to let Rhys do his healing thing, and because this group was never quiet, that meant talking. For some, that meant actually meeting Mia. For others...

"Shinon, well met," Ike said with a smile, walking over to where Shinon was leaning against the wall. I saw almost everyone, save Rhys and Gatrie and Mia, keep one eye on the interaction, even as they checked their weapons and armor. "Are you unharmed?"

"Does it look like I'm injured?" Shinon scoffed, rolling his eyes. Ike's smile dropped like a broken branch. "Must be disappointed Daein hasn't turned me into a quiver." He sighed gustily, and Ike kept silent. "Well, time to work twice as hard since I'm stuck dragging your worthless ass around." He really hated Ike, huh? Well, not my problem. Since Greil was back, I could leave as soon as it was safe. ...Well, I supposed he wasn't back-back… damn it all.

"Shinon…" Titania called, looking almost disappointed. She gestured for him to come over, though, and she began fixing his ponytail when he did. "Your hair-tie is fraying. I knew I should've brought extras."

"It'll hold, nanny." Despite the sarcasm, Shinon made no move to escape her fussing. What I thought more telling was how no one paid nearly as much attention now, save Soren who went to Ike to quietly talk to him about something. "I have spares… somewhere. I think."

"Unless your spares are bowstrings, I'm making you use mine."

"Thanks, Rhys!" Gatrie suddenly laughed, standing up and drawing everyone's attention. I guessed he was better? "Man, you joining was seriously one of the best things." He grinned and pushed himself up with a groan before heading over to Ike. "And you! You're quite the hero, Ike!" He clapped Ike on the back, hard enough to make him stumble. Soren ducked behind them to head over to Rhys, while Oscar and Boyd began gathering things up. "I'm so proud of you! But… ah… what in blazes are you doing here?"

"You'll… ah…" Ike began hesitantly. He glanced over to where Titania and Shinon were bickering over hair-ties before continuing. "You'll think it's foolish, but we were worried…"

"Aw, you're going to make me cry, silly pup!" Gatrie ruffled Ike's hair to conveniently hide that he was, in fact, tearing up. "When things settle, we'll have a drink and a song!"

"I'm underaged."

"So, you'll have water! It'll be fine!" He kept on being affectionate, and Ike tried to squirm away. "Should teach you about girls anyway, while I'm at it!" It was… such a contrast from Ike's interaction with Shinon. And, really, from Shinon's interaction with Titania. I found myself looking between the two a lot, remembering how Shinon and Gatrie often kept close together...

"Something wrong?" Rhys asked me quietly, appearing at my shoulder. I could see him study me, checking for any sign of injury. But distance helped with avoiding things like that. "You seem…"

"I'm just trying to figure out how those two are friends," I replied, pointing to Shinon and Gatrie. I was also curious why no one threw Shinon out for causing trouble. Such things weakened the group, didn't they? Then again, beorc. "They're more opposite than water and fire."

"Shinon's prickly and rude, and recovering from quite a few traumas and addictions. But, he does have a soft spot."

"He… has many soft spots?" The belly, for one thing?

"My apologies. It's a figure of speech." Rhys hid a smile behind his hand. "What I mean is that he's a good person at heart. He's just…" He struggled for a word. Meanwhile, everyone else had grouped up and were debating something. "He's like an onion, you see?" I… uh… didn't. At all. "Lots of layers and… I'm confusing you more, aren't I? Oh, dear..."

"Rhys, Thalia, come on!" Shinon called, waving to catch our attention. Everyone else was heading… not to the exit. "Despite the fact that woman is no trouble for the commander, these idiots insist on going to him instead of escaping, so we have injuries to heal and Daeins to feather."

Oh, wonderful, time to walk deeper into unknown territory with known dangers about. I'd complain about their lack of survival instincts, but here I was following them, so I thought that made me the bigger idiot. As soon as I could, I was getting away from here!

* * *

We heard the fight long before I saw it. Smelled it too, the acrid scent of fire and smoke marking an easy trail through the ruined halls. Every once in a while, we had to stop just to check if the path was viable, due to how unstable and cracked the walls and floor looked. In fact, the floor _did_ give out under our feet at one point, but thankfully only a little. Easy jump. But it was still… I wished I had the soft earth and the strong branches under my feet. The stone was cold, and the random broken chips bit into my feet. I really should bind them up or something, since I left a trail of blood, but it wasn't as if we were very hidden. Or hidden at all, actually.

"See? He's just fine," Shinon commented when we caught up with Petrine and Greil. The two were in the middle of a very open room with entrances on all four sides, fighting with all the viciousness of two packs defending territory. "Dumb pup."

"This has been a very long day, Shinon," Titania immediately chided. Notably, Ike didn't even pretend to be listening to Shinon. Just watched his father fight. "Can you really blame him for wanting visual confirmation that his father is doing well? Besides, while Greil is the stronger of the two, she _is_ powerful. Looks like she's landed some blows."

"...Ugh, fine, I'll give you that." Shinon scowled like it was the worst thing ever. "But we've seen them. Time to follow orders, right?"

"No argument there." Titania gestured, and Oscar began pulling Boyd back, while Soren took Ike's arm. Gatrie moved so that he was in front of us all, possibly because of all his armor? "I think we can still-"

"Dog's breath, who _are_ you?" Petrine growled through gritted teeth right then. Now that they weren't moving, I could get a good look at them both and it was clear just who was winning the fight. She was bleeding badly from a gash on her side and was definitely winded. In contrast, Greil looked like he was just getting started, save for some burns that he barely seemed to notice. "You fight like a demon!"

"I'm just a common sellsword," Greil replied, only half-paying attention to her. Most of his attention was on the rest of us, because he had noticed us instantly. His only reaction was a raised brow at Shinon and Titania. "Ready to surrender?"

"Like hell." She snarled and drew herself up, lance in hand. Flames danced along the edges, eager for more tinder. "Perhaps you should start begging instead."

It seemed like a strange thing to say, given the obvious difference in strength. But that made me frown and look around, hunting for a trap. And I found it instantly, and bristled. Soldiers. Soldiers everywhere, even behind us. I cursed myself for not paying better attention. I knew better. Or, rather, I _should_ have known better. Now, I was caught in a corner with a bunch of crazies. Seriously, getting involved with beorc was nothing but trouble! I should've left when I could… as it was, though, we all quickly had to group up, forming a circle so that our backs were to each other and all the soldiers slowly began readying their weapons. Waiting for the easy kill...

"Well, looks like our luck has run out…" Greil murmured, resting a hand on Ike's shoulder. After a moment, he squeezed it. "Ike, you have to survive this. I'm not losing you, especially in a place like this. Move a bit closer to Soren, will you? You two work well together." Ike nodded and stepped back so that he could change places with Shinon. Ike ended up next to me, with both of us facing Petrine, and he smiled apologetically. "Soren, any ideas?"

"What? You think you can actually get away?" Petrine mocked, laughing even. The arrogance was hampered by her pinched expression, and the wound still bleeding sluggishly. "Still, I should make you pay for this injury…" Petrine smirked and stabbed out with her lance, a wave of fire erupting from the tip. Heading straight… for Ike…!

It felt like an eternity in the space of a heartbeat. I saw Greil's eyes widen and him try to move to shield Ike in time. I saw Titania begin to scream, even as she tried to do the same. I saw Soren preparing a spell to intercept. I saw Oscar, Boyd, Rhys, Gatrie… hell, I even saw Shinon try to do _something_. And it between all those sights, I 'saw' Elincia's worried expression and Mist's earnest eyes...

I didn't realize I had even moved until I felt the fire scorch me. And it hurt. It hurt more than just about anything I had ever felt before. I felt like I was being eaten alive. Even when the heat left, the crackling pain lingered, clawing away both my skin and my breath. It reminded me of that day, the last day I had seen Father, and instinctively, I tried to keep standing. That let me see that Shinon had shot at Petrine, but she dodged it even with her wound. That let me figure out just what Titania had _meant_ by 'powerful'. She had guessed Petrine would dodge. And I was so used to hitting on the first try that I hadn't considered it… ha… how _arrogant_ … another bit of proof at how weak I really was…

And that realization took all the strength I had left. Mostly. At the least, I collapsed, because I couldn't stay upright anymore. Not and breathe. But I didn't hit the ground. Someone caught me: Greil. And he got me on his back easily, making it so that I didn't have to worry about standing at all. Which was good, because it was difficult to really think about anything. It even took a while to realize what 'loud deafening roar' signalled, and I didn't figure it out until after I heard soldiers screaming. Laguz were here. Ha… how typical. Late to give help… when they gave it at all…

But then the wind began 'shrieking', so I made myself lift my head to look around. And I saw a knight encased in thick black armor stride in and felt cold. I didn't really _hear_ anything, of course. My head was fuzzy, like it was full of a nestling's feathers, and the sound of my own heartbeat was just so _loud_ … but I could still see how the wind itself 'bent' away from that knight, as if it didn't even want to touch them. Fear? Hatred? I wasn't sure. But I could tell they were focused on Greil, because of how the wind 'clung' to Greil, trying to protect him. And Greil knew it as well, because he was as rigid as an oak tree under me.

That was… about all I could do, though, and I dropped my head again, resting it on Greil's shoulder. After a moment, Greil began walking away, or so I guessed by the swaying motion under me. He walked slowly, and I thought he glanced back a few times, but honestly, I had no idea. The outside air was cold, though. Knifed straight through me. But hey, we were safe and sound… sort of.

"Ah! Thalia!" At some point, gentle hands took mine and I made myself look up to see Elincia peering up at me worriedly. "You're terribly burned…" she whispered, squeezing my hand. She looked close to tears. "Will you be okay?" I managed a nod and she smiled in relief. "Oh, thank goodness…"

"Yikes, she does look to be in bad shape." A laguz walked over to her side, peering up at me with two different colored eyes. Strangely, there was no revulsion in their expression. Did he not sense what I was, as other Laguz had? "I hate fire," he commented, looking over at Greil. I had no idea what was going on, and I just let my head rest on Greil's shoulder. "Anyway, we can…"

"No, we've got healing supplies on hand, so I'd rather get her resting sooner," Greil refused. I was glad, because last thing I needed was to be alone with _laguz_. Especially while hurt. "And I'm sorry for not paying attention earlier, but you were talking about Gebal Castle for us to stay, right? I know the way."

"Huh. Didn't know beorc knew Gallia's geography that well, but thank you." The laguz smiled and offered his hand to Elincia. Or so I gathered from what bits I could see still. "I'll get you to our king as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Lord Ranulf…" Elincia murmured. She squeezed my hand again before letting go. "Be well, Thalia. I'll see you soon." Ah, she was leaving. Getting that help. So, I should be able to leave, except I couldn't even think straight… in fact, I struggled to stay awake, not wanting to depend fully on anyone when I was so injured. But pain reigned supreme and, before long, I had finally fainted. And the last thought I had was about how the last time I'd been this injured, Mother had still been alive.

Ha… beorc and laguz were always such trouble...

* * *

Rhys tended to my burns, and when I woke up, he summarized what all happened outside the fort, rightly guessing I didn't pay attention. Crimea was 'conquered', Elincia's family was confirmed dead, and Caineghis had ordered extra patrols along the border in the hope that Elincia wasn't dead and would make it here. Made me feel a bit better, knowing that she'd finally get the help she needed. So, really, I should've just left, but ah…

"Rhys says that you should drink this if you can't sleep because of the pain!" Mist explained with a slightly forced brightness, setting a glass of some sort of liquid on the makeshift table by the bed I was using. After Rhys treated me, Mist insisted on fussing, especially when she learned just how I got injured. "I'll be back with dinner!" She took off like a little bird, though she did nearly slip and fall on the threshold. But she caught herself anyway and disappeared. Tragically, it wasn't as if I was left alone for long...

"Hey, uh…" Ike walked in soon afterwards, carrying some clothes. I tried to figure out why; I was already wearing different ones. Rhys said that Titania had changed my clothes, with my old ones being used as rags between the burns and the holes. I was just glad my feather survived the flames; it was on the little table for reassurance. "Titania wanted you to have another set to change into, just in case those weren't comfy," he continued, reminding me that he was, in fact, still here. My head was still foggy. "I can… uh…" He sighed and smiled ruefully, chuckling a bit. "Sorry. First thing I should've said was 'thank you'. I like being unburnt, though I wish you didn't have to suffer in my place."

"It's fine," I replied, shrugging. And then wincing because _ow_ … part of me wanted to take that medicine, but I… well, would it even work on me? I was Branded, after all, and I vaguely remembered from Father that some beorc medicines didn't work on laguz and vice versa. Where did that put me, then? "So, I am wearing some of Titania's clothes?"

"There was a bit of debate, but Titania was the one with the most clothing packed. She's ridiculously good at packing. Swear she could pack half of a castle in her saddlebags." He smiled slightly and I tentatively smiled back, hoping that's what I was supposed to do. "So, where should I set these? Just anywhere?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine?" It wasn't as if I knew. I hadn't 'owned' more than one set of clothes in… a very long while.

"Got it." He carefully set the clothes in the back, in a not-quite-dusty place, and then he walked over to crouch down and smile at me. "Let us know if you need anything, okay? Company policy is that the wounded get spoiled."

"...You want me to rot?"

"No, it's… actually, how did that phrase come to be?" He frowned for a moment, thinking, before shrugging. "Anyway, it more or less means you get fussed over ridiculously and you get what you want, within reason." I supposed having a 'single word' for all of that made sense, even if I wasn't sure why it was that one. "I wouldn't have thought language was all that different?"

"I've probably just forgotten." If I didn't talk to myself sometimes, would I have even known how to talk? "You forget a lot of things as time passes."

"And then sometimes, you lose it all at once!" Though he said it like it was a joke, there was some pain in his eyes. "I'll let you be, though. Going to see if I can sneak some food because I am _starving_." He grinned and left and for a blissful few moments, I was alone in… mostly silence. I could hear the crazies bickering and laughing down the hall, the walls and wind carrying the sound easily.

Just as before, though, I wasn't left alone long. This time, it was Greil who walked in, looking about the room and frowning at something. Or maybe he was frowning in general. Hard to say, really. He'd been off since that 'Black Knight' (his actual title and wow, how creative) showed up. But he did sit on the bed next to me and studied my face, so I gathered he had some purpose in coming here.

"How are you feeling?" he asked after a moment. Though he still frowned, his expression was more worried now. "Getting burned always reminded me of the stories of hell."

"Felt like I was being eaten," I replied, almost shrugging. But I caught myself in time. "Now, though, it just hurts." ...Wait, was I supposed to lie and say that I was fine? I'd seen that a few times before, but…

"I'm sure." He studied me for a moment longer before smiling wryly. "I'm sure you're in a hurry to leave, and you did keep your promise, but those injuries are pretty bad, from my understanding." He carefully patted me on the head, and I almost froze because… because I got a memory of Father doing the same thing. "So, until they heal, why don't you keep staying with us?"

"Yeah, I can agree to that." Part of me wanted to protest. I wanted _away_ from these crazies and all. But attempting to return to the forest in this state would lead to nothing but pain and starvation. If I could barely stand, there was no way I could hunt, after all. "I suppose the border will be crazy for a while anyway."

"It will indeed. Daein will be pushing the border, seeing how much they can get away with without provoking a response. Then they'll utilize that breaking point in a strategy." His eyes fell to the bandages on my arms. "Thank you for protecting Ike, Thalia. I should've anticipated her getting some sort of revenge on me."

"It's not something to thank me for."

"It is. I believe I told you before, but Ike and Mist are my everything. You protected my world with that." Now his smile softened, but it was also very, very sad. "You are very kind, Thalia."

"...Not really." Why did they keep saying that? Was 'kind' a nice way beorc said 'stupid'? Because, seriously, I should've just shot the lady instead of learning how much pain Father had to have been in when he died. This probably wouldn't have killed Ike, after all. Yet, I still thought of the fear on all their faces. It reminded me of the fear on my parents' faces, that horrible night.

Perhaps sensing I didn't want to talk anymore, Greil left then, closing the door behind him. I waited to see if anyone else would show up, but when no one did, I closed my eyes to listen to the wind, noting how it still screamed. Noting how _heavy_ it felt. This was the wind during war, huh? Was it heavy from the scent of death and blood? Was it heavy from ghosts flitting this way and that? I had no idea, really. I just knew it was heavy. Heavy… and bending away from something…?

I opened my eyes and forced myself to crawl out of the bed, over to the window. Because it was such a perfect target, the bed had been moved away, so I had to lean heavily on the wall to even make it there. But when I did, I peered out, trying to figure out what was going on. And, in the moonlight, I thought I caught the glint of dark metal amongst the trees. But I blinked and it was gone, and no matter how long I stared, I didn't see it again.

...I was just going to go to sleep. My eyes were playing too many tricks on me. Mist could wake me up when dinner was ready.

* * *

 _Titania, 30_

 _Once a knight of Crimea, she serves as Greil's right hand and takes on a 'older sister' or 'mother' role for the mercenaries. She is also the instructor for the mercenaries, due to her extensive prior training, and she takes that duty seriously, saving most of her sternness for those lessons._

 _Trained personally by Duke Renning, she is strong, fast, and skilled. Unusually for female paladins, she favors axes and none can deny she is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield._

 _She has known Greil for a long while, and is privy to most (if not all) of his secrets. They are each other's best friends and understand each other very well. This is why Titania will snap whenever it seems like someone is disrespecting Greil, as she believes in his ideals as much as he does. (And there are rumors she's in love with Greil, but no one is stupid enough to say that when she can hear. If she is, it's her business alone.)_

* * *

Author's notes: The talks Ike has with Shinon and Gatrie are from the game. Petrine being Branded is something brought up in a later chapter if Soren attacks her. And while the intro scene is short, the ending cutscenes for the chapter are quite long… and given how important some things are, I decided they needed their own chapter.

Near as I could find, the whole 'Four Riders' thing of Daein is fairly recent, with the 'originals' being just the previous generation. So, I'm going with it being something Ashnard did, because it seems to suit his 'strong take all' mentality.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Gebal Castle


	4. Interlude - Gebal Castle

Interlude - Gebal Castle

* * *

 _Fire hurts. Fire hurts a lot. I'd always known that in the theoretical 'listen to your parents' way, but now, I knew it for fact. Why? Because I stupidly used myself as a shield to keep Ike from being burned. Why? Because the fear on everyone's faces reminded me of my parents. So, I'm staying with this group a while longer._

 _It's almost as if there's some twisted person trying to force me to stay forever with these crazies. But that's just ridiculous, right?_

* * *

The weirdest thing about having burns is that I couldn't bathe on my own. I mean; I probably _could_ , since Rhys let me the first time, but given that I made myself bleed and gave myself blisters because I 'washed too hard', Rhys refused to let me try it a second time. Titania most often was the one who helped me, because she had experience with burn wounds. They were apparently very fragile or something. Or at least the skin was.

"I'm surprised you've never dried your hair before," Titania murmured, using a towel to… well… dry my hair. She sat on the bed I was using, while I sat at her feet. Just as she usually was with anyone but enemies and lazy students, she was gentle. "Your hair is easily as long as mine, and it always drives me crazy to have it soaking wet. Not to mention the literal and figurative headache."

"I didn't want to steal more things," I answered, keeping my head down. I didn't really like it, since the towel blocked my peripheral vision, but it did mean this went a lot faster. Which I did like. "And people are strangely particular about their towels. I once saw two women go at each other with kitchen knives over one."

"I… actually, I think I had to break up a fight like that." Titania laughed, amused. "So, what did you use to wash, then? I'm assuming you didn't swipe washcloths either."

"No, I just used what bits of soap I could easily swipe. People tend to leave the pieces that break off just wherever." I made a face, remembering those times. It wasn't as easy as grabbing clothes drying on a line, though it _was_ easier than getting a new bow and arrows. Barely. "I didn't really want to, but sadly, I do have a sense of smell and there's only so much I can tolerate, even from myself." I had also learned quickly that smelling bad led to one of two things in those woods. Either the animals stayed far away… or you attracted the attention of animals you _really_ wanted to avoid. Or got yourself lice. Lice sucked. I found them more annoying than ticks, personally. "I used the same soap for my hair. I don't get why you put that other stuff in my hair instead."

"I'm surprised your hair isn't frizzier, but it certainly explains a lot of your tangles." Still, Titania didn't sound annoyed or anything. Just amused, as she had been for… well, since before she started helping me. "You can use it for both, truthfully, but you need something else in your hair to help keep it soft and not inclined to tangle. It keeps it healthy. Like the lotion we rub around your healing burns."

"Huh. Weird." I didn't know hair could be 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'. Reminded me of how Mist insisted on 'doing my nails', smoothing the edges of my fingernails and toenails so that they wouldn't catch on as many things and risk being ripped off. I'd never bothered worrying about that before. "Is that also why you use a different soap for washing clothes?"

"Yes, indeed. Clothes can handle harsher soaps, which can help get some of those deeper stains out. Or so my mother scolded me when I was little and tried to cut corners with my chores." She lifted the towel off my head briefly, to flip it over and go back to drying my hair. She did that every time, and I didn't really get why. But I didn't feel like asking. "Speaking of clothes, though… when we're at the castle, we should get you fitted for some."

"That sounds like a lot of trouble." It also fascinated me how neither Titania nor Greil had any doubts we would be welcomed in the centermost stronghold of the beast laguz. After all, most beorc and laguz interactions ended up with awkward and rapid retreats or bloody blades and claws.

"Honestly, we're _all_ going to have to get new clothes, so one more won't add much of anything." She might think that, but I wasn't so sure personally. "Ah, before I forget, Thalia, what did you do when you were on your period?"

"What do you…?" Oh, wait, she was asking about how I caught the blood, wasn't she? "I typically just stole some rags and used them. Rinse them when they got saturated. Discard when it stopped." I shrugged. "I'm… irregular? I think that's the word?"

"Oh?"

"I mean… it's supposed to be easily counted, right? Similar time every month?" Not that, of course, I really knew how long a 'month' was since days blended together. But I could figure out some things based on baby animals growing and what things were going on in the nearby villages.

"More or less. Lots of things can skew it, though."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure mine weren't every month." Of course, I didn't know if that 'irregularity' was normal for Branded or not. "So, that's what I did."

"I see." She chuckled, amused by something. "Ah, I was half-afraid you'd ask something about 'I am on a segment of time'?"

"I vaguely remember Mother talking about, but you had a lot of people foraging for plants that supposedly helped with that stuff. Or make you have more babies. Or make you have less babies." So, I heard a _lot_ more than I could've ever wanted on the topic. People babbled a lot when they thought no one could hear.

"And _that_ reminds me of a different thing." Conversations with Titania tended to be this way, mostly because she was able to find a topic the second it might seem like there would be some sort of silence. "So, a few months ago, a very strange thing occurred."

"Stranger than all this?"

"Well, perhaps not quite. But it was still strange and something that honestly had never happened before. A baby was left at our door." Oh. That. I… uh... "We tried to find his parents, but no one claimed him. But there was a lovely couple who offered to adopt him. Last I heard, he was doing very well." Oh, that was… good… "Greil and I couldn't figure out just why someone would abandon their baby at _our_ doorstep of all places. It was so odd." She draped the towel around my neck and tilted my head back so that she could look at me with a soft smile and kind eyes. "However, when Greil mentioned that you were often near in the forest, I remembered that Shinon had told me he saw something 'white' shortly before we heard the baby's cries. Boyd took advantage of the story to scare everyone with claims of it being a ghost, but it was you, wasn't it?"  
"...People abandon babies in the woods a lot. Babies and very small children." Sometimes, I just found their bodies. But other times, I got lucky and found them still breathing. "I thought the baby had a fever and knew you had a healer. I normally try to leave them with people who seem decent enough." Decent for beorc, at least. It was a very few number, but even I had to admit that beorc tended to be nice to children. Well, beorc children.

"That's very kind of you."

"Not really." I just… I refused to not help people. I refused to be like the laguz and turn away just because I disliked their race. Which was what got me into this current mess. And besides, dead children in the woods would attract trouble. "So, is my hair actually dried? Whenever you claim it is, it still feels wet."

"But then you aren't dripping everywhere, silly." She pulled the towel back over my head to return to drying. "That makes the floor slippery, you know."

"Oh, that does make sense." I'd question things a lot less if they gave me reasons… but, then again, I was only here until my injuries healed up. Shouldn't be much longer…

...Why did I have a bad feeling about it, then?

* * *

The mercenaries had done a very thorough job cleaning the place. I barely even saw dust in the corners, though that could've just been the shadows. Regardless, it certainly made it easier to walk around and explore. It was also easy because the halls were more or less empty. Almost everyone was outside, enjoying the sunny weather. Or training in the sun in the case of some. Specifically, I could see Ike and Mia sparring, while Soren watched closely. I half-thought he was analyzing her fighting style, truthfully. But that wasn't my concern. What was… well, originally, it had been how cramped I'd been feeling, but as I walked, I caught a mouthwatering aroma and decided my concern should be filling my stomach.

The smell led me to the kitchens, where Oscar was cooking at the stove, back towards me. And I did have to admit that I'd miss the food. Not just how convenient it was to not cook, but also just how… warm the food was. 'Home cooked', I supposed the term would be. I'd heard it many times while eavesdropping on gossip, but it was the first time I'd really known what they had meant. Though, I suppose it wasn't the 'first'... just the first that I remembered, nowadays...

"Follow the smell of a feast cooking, and you're always there, Oscar." Greil walked into the kitchen from a different door and I ducked a bit behind the frame of the door I was at. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by now," Greil continued teasing. This was awkward, though. I already wasn't sure if it was okay to approach while someone was cooking, and now, there was a conversation. I should just leave, but… I was hungry… "I swear you'd live in the kitchen if you could."

"Well, I haven't really been able to cook a lot recently due to jobs," Oscar laughed, continuing to cook. He barely even looked at Greil, in fact. "But were you looking for me"

"Yeah…" Greil's cheer faltered slightly. Just slightly. "I've been meaning to apologize."

"About… what?" Though Oscar's expression never wavered, he sounded confused. "Did you sneak food from the supplies again, Commander?"

"I have _never_ done that!" The faux dignity of the statement, completely with an almost insulted look, hinted that was a lie. "No, I just… wanted to apologize for getting you caught up in this mess. Particularly Rolf."

"That is…" Oscar tried to continue, but didn't seem to know how. "Commander, do you remember how we first met?"

"Oscar, if this is because you feel you owe a debt, then-"

"Please, Commander, indulge me." Oscar smiled so kindly. My heart actually ached at the sight. "Do you?"

"...We met because Boyd tried to pickpocket me, and failed miserably." He did what now?

"That's right." Oscar returned to stirring… whatever he was cooking. All I knew was that it smelled good and it was in a giant pot. "It was around seven or eight years ago. A few months after Father finally succumbed to his illness and a few months after I resigned from Crimean Knights, because Boyd was just too young to take care of Rolf on his own."

"And living in the capital was too expensive for a new knight with two children to feed." Greil closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. "I happened to be passing through on a job while you were with Boyd and Rolf, shopping."

"And because you were new, and not likely to stay, Boyd thought he could get away with stealing from you." Oscar smiled slightly. "Of course, you caught him before he even got his hand in your pocket."

"I did, and you ran over, frantically apologizing while Rolf trailed after you." Greil opened his eyes again; they were sad, yet nostalgic. "I asked Boyd why he wanted to steal my money. He said that he wanted to buy _fresh_ bread for Rolf."

"And if there was any left, he wanted to get some for me. Not himself." Oscar tasted whatever he was making and then went to put something in it. Some sort of spice? I didn't know much about cooking, much less spices. Just that they existed. And that I could make things edible for me. "You bought the fresh bread yourself, for all three of us. And while I was thanking you, you asked what was going on."

"You still had your knightly manners, so I knew you had at least been training to be one. But you kept silent about the trials you were going through."

"You had been so helpful already. I couldn't ask more." Oscar laughed softly at the memory. "I was almost horrified when you asked Rolf and he explained everything."

"When the older ones prove tight-lipped, ask the younger ones. They haven't learned about pride yet." Greil grinned, enjoying the memory as well. "You tried to quiet him."

"And then you said, 'well, why don't you work for me?'. And you told us how you were a mercenary, and that there were too many jobs for you, Titania, and Shinon to take on your own." Oscar tasted his food again and nodded, apparently satisfied with how it was. And he threw some more stuff in. By this point, I guessed it was some sort of stew. "You saved us, that day. But you did more than that. You gave us a home again. A family again. I'll forever remember when we first arrived, and Ike just ran up and said 'welcome home' to us three, without hesitation."

"He's always been like that. Got it from his mother." Greil's grin softened into a smile. A small, yet warm and proud, smile. "Good thing, too. He's terrible at chores, so he contributes to keeping things running smoothly that way."

"And that's just what we do as well. We're a family, Commander. And I'm proud of our family, and of the decisions we have made." Oscar made sure to smile at Greil now. "So, please, there's no need to apologize. Of course we're 'dragged' into it. That's just what family does. True family, at least. Get into trouble, and work together to get out of it."

"Ha… that is true." Greil nodded, accepting the very soft and quiet rebuke. "All right, I won't apologize for that again. I'll just continue to fret. We might have all fought battles before, but war is a whole different monster."

"Of course you'll fret. You can give a mother hen lessons!"

The two chatted a little bit longer, and then Greil left while Oscar continued cooking. I debated for a moment before I tiptoed inside the kitchen proper. I still felt awkward, but the conversation did make me think it would be okay to at least _ask_ for food? But, then again, Greil was basically Oscar's second father and family got away with things strangers couldn't. So, it was still possibly rude and if I was stuck with these people for a while longer, I _did_ have to try and keep to manners, but...

"Hmm? Ah, Thalia!" However, Oscar noticed me and smiled. How he saw with his eyes almost shut all the time, I had no idea. "Are you hungry?" he asked with a little laugh. I nodded. "I was wondering if I should make a snack for you. Healings always make me feel like a starving bear, personally." He stepped away from the pot and quickly began making me some sort of… well, I supposed it was like a sandwich. But instead of using two slices, he made a 'pocket' out of the end part of a loaf and filled it in with stuff. "Is there anything you like in particular?"

"Food," I replied, because I had no idea how to respond to that. I mean… truthfully, I didn't know the names of a good portion of these things. And the ones I _did_ know, I had just overheard from villagers. "Edible food."

"Well… at least it's an answer." He sighed mournfully, shaking his head, and I just shrugged. What else was I supposed to say? "Ah, well. At last it's not like Soren. He hates everything. Swear he'd go without eating if he could."

Oscar gave me the pocket-sandwich thing and then went back to cooking. I decided to head outside while I ate, to climb up onto the roof and take a look around. However, when I did, I noticed something odd. Greil was sneaking out of the castle, heading towards the forest. Which I thought was weird, but as I took a big bite of the bread pocket (filled with yummy meats and vegetables with some sort of creamy sauce), I decided it would probably be best to ignore it. He was an adult, and I _did_ just eavesdrop on a conversation. So, I walked away or, well, tried to. The wind, however, pushed me back, towards Greil, and after a few attempts, I sighed and followed, finishing off my snack along the way. The wind very rarely _insisted_ on anything. And I didn't really want to fight the wind of all things. I'd lose. Badly.

The first thing I noticed while following was that he wasn't actually heading _into_ the forest. Instead, he walked along the edge, clearly looking for something. And that 'something' ended up being a… very odd tree. It was different from the other trees of the forest, most noticeably that its flowers were already blooming, unlike the others which were only buds at most. And they weren't the typical flowers I was used to seeing either. They were a very beautiful pale pink, so pale that you would almost call them 'white' and they floated through the air as easily as feathers. And they had a noticeable, but not overpowering, fragrance. I almost felt like I'd stepped into another world entirely, just by being close.

The second (or third) thing I noticed was the mound nestled carefully in the roots of that beautiful tree. Grass and flowers had grown over it, but it was still very easy to see it was 'person sized'. It was still very easy to realize it was a grave. The grave of someone Greil must've known well, given how he knelt by it and began pulling the very few weeds. And talking to whoever it was. I think. I was far enough away to not hear what he said, but I saw his mouth move.

However, I _wasn't_ far enough away to be out of his sight. "Ah, Thalia?" Greil called, looking up all of a sudden. I awkwardly waved and he smiled ruefully. "And here I thought I did such a good job sneaking away."

"I have good sight," I 'explained', not sure what else to say. I shifted my weight between my feet, ready to leave, but Greil waved me forward, so I carefully picked my way over instead. "I didn't mean to intrude or anything. Just…"

"Well, we _were_ attacked recently, and Daein could still be patrolling." He waved away the apology, and I decided to let him think I'd taken that into account. I'd just listened to the wind, and now looked smart. Yay. "It's not actually a secret or anything. I plan on bringing Ike and Mist here, but I wanted to make sure I knew the path, and that no one had disturbed her rest."

"Disturb?" I wasn't sure how one 'disturbed' the dead. Dead was dead, and the body was just a sack of meat. Good food for the carrion eaters.

"Yes, it's the grave of a good friend. I didn't know her long, but meeting her was one of the best things that happened to me." He looked up to the branches swaying in the breeze. Petals fell with each little movement, but it didn't… it was like the tree had infinite flowers or something, as it still looked as full as ever. "She wanted to rest under this tree, because it reminded her of her home. Used to visit as much as I could, but… well, I haven't been her in a while. She's probably mad about that." He smiled ruefully again, but this time, there was definitely a trace of bitterness there that he tried to hide. "Probably mad about a lot of things, actually."

"I don't think so?" I closed my eyes, listening to the wind. It was almost playful right now, cheerful. Nowhere near as insistent as it had been before. "The wind is light and filled with silent songs. It's not like that when people are angry. Even the dead." Graveyards were peaceful places for that reason.

"The wind, huh? Well, I have heard old stories about the wind carrying the whispers of the dead." He watched the branches a little longer before turning to me. "I'm surprised to see you up and about, though. I thought it would be another few days before the healers cleared you for moving."

"Clear?" Confused again, but for once, it wasn't because of the word usage. "Was I supposed to ask their permission?" I glanced back at the fortress in the distance and saw Mist and Rhys running around like they were crazier than usual. "Because I just got up on my own?"

"...Whoo boy." Greil patted my back and nudged me down the path, walking with me. "When you're a patient, Thalia, you kind of need to wait for the healers to say it's okay before going about daily life. Otherwise, you risk making yourself worse. Then we all cry because you're in pain longer."

"That doesn't make sense." I frowned up at him. "I know we've been stuck together for a few days and all, but I _am_ more or less a stranger."

"You don't have to know a person to empathize with their pain, Thalia. It costs nothing to care about other people." He smiled slightly and patted my head before ruffling my hair. I definitely… remembered Father doing that too… was it just a thing among beorc fathers? "But you've also been fighting with us for those few days, _and_ you're injured because you protected my son. So, in my view, it makes perfect sense to be worried."

"I see." I supposed when it was phrased that way, it did make more sense. Plus, the sooner I was better, the sooner I would leave, and there would be less drain on their supplies. So… actually, yeah, it did make perfect sense. "Is Rhys going to be angry with me?"

"You might have to listen to him ramble a lecture. But it's only because you worried him."

"Okay." I vaguely remembered Father doing that with one of his patients. So, that made sense too.

Oh, glory, these people were _making sense_. I never knew insanity was contagious.

* * *

Later that night, long after the sun had set and the moon rose, I snuck out of my room to walk around the fortress again. I knew I shouldn't; the lecture from Rhys had proven that very clearly. But I couldn't sleep. For some reason, I felt out of sorts, like I did those first few days after Mother had passed. So, I wanted to be outside with the wind blowing. I'd _tried_ just standing by the window, but it hadn't been enough.

I moved as quietly as possible towards the front courtyard, but discovered I wasn't the only one awake. Ike was and, worse, so was Greil, and the two were talking. I didn't know about what, because as soon as I saw them, I went the other way. For one thing, I knew I'd get lectured again. For another, I'd accidentally eavesdropped on _two_ emotional things involving Greil and that was two too many! So, I headed for the back courtyard, thinking no one would be there. But...

"Didn't you just get lectured earlier about getting out of bed without support?" But then Mia was suddenly in front of me, hanging upside down, and it took a moment to realize she had been sitting up on a ledge above me. "And here you are, out of bed," she continued, with a grin. I assumed that meant she was teasing. "Naughty kiddies get timeouts and the like, you know?"

"I… think I am older than you?" I replied, not really knowing what else to say. I knew that I was older than I looked, because I knew Branded aged more slowly than beorc (though faster than laguz) from vague comments from my parents. "Also, what exactly is this 'timeout' thing?"

"It's basically where you put someone in isolation to make them think about what they've done and all that nonsense." If that was the case, why did no one give Shinon one? "I guess it is a pretty poor joke. But surely you're not that much older than me." She flipped off the ledge, landed on her feet with a couple of bounces, and then turned to face me with a smile. "Can't sleep either?"

"We're not the only ones. Ike and Greil were talking out front."

"Didn't know about those two, but I saw Soren was awake, reading his books. Tried to talk to him, but he must really like what he was reading since he didn't even acknowledge me." She stretched her arms above her head, apparently not bothered. "Seems like everyone else is sleeping like babies, though."

"...That would imply that they wake up crying or fussing, wouldn't it?" Admittedly, my experience with babies _was_ limited to the ones I found in the woods, but…

"Yeah, I don't know where that idiom came from either. Same with the whole 'taking candy from a baby' thing. You try to take _anything_ from a baby? They hold on tight and if you keep trying, they'll cry and make you feel like the bad guy!" She made a face, putting her hands behind her head. "Bad guy for refusing to let them hold onto some sharp thing. Like dealing with kittens, really." She… talked a lot. Even in comparison to the others. "You ever have little siblings? Or pets?"

"Huh? Me?" I… uh… she was a whirlwind. How did she have so much energy? "No, neither. I lost my parents when I was small."

"Eh? Oh, man…" She somehow both sighed and groaned at the same time. It was a strange noise. "Me and my big mouth…" She… her mouth looked in proportion to the rest of her face? "I'm really sorry…"

"For… huh?" I was lost. I was so lost. "You are… forgiven?" I should probably head inside. This clearly had to be some sort of sign that I should listen to healers. But I really did want to feel the wind and...

All at once, the wind gusted, carrying the scent of rain. Unusual, since there were no clouds, but… but it wasn't… it was 'insistent' again. More than that, even. It battered me, nearly pushing me off my feet even. It screamed as it 'insisted'... something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. So, I listened to the wind and ran the direction it shoved me. Past the front courtyard where Greil and Ike had been. Past the walls of the fort, just as a light rain began to fall. Into the forest, where no one _should_ be. But before the fort was out of my sight, I ran into two people: Ike and Greil. But they weren't talking or anything as they had before. Instead, Ike was half-carrying, half-dragging Greil. A very… bloody… Greil...

"Huh? Oh, Thalia, hey," Ike said dully. He didn't look up, focused on where his feet were going. "Ha… see, Father? I told you we were close…"

"Ike, what the hell?" I asked, since I just… they had both been fine not two minutes ago. They were out of sight for barely any length of time. "Why are you…?" I didn't know how to finish that question, though.

"Father's hurt and can't walk right, so I'm helping." Ike chuckled. The sound was hollow. "I think he's mad at me, though. Since I didn't listen earlier. He told me to head inside, but..."

"Ike…" I opened and shut my mouth a few times, trying to find the words. Because now that he was a little closer, and now that I had time to adjust to the dark some, I could see the gaping wound on… no, _through_ Greil's chest. I could see how it had stopped bleeding. That meant… "Ike, he's…"

"He's super rude, right?" Ike lifted his head to finally look at me, and I realized in an instance that it wasn't just rain on his face. The reddened eyes… he was crying. He knew. He knew, but he… "I mean… I get being mad and all, but just giving me the silent treatment is a little…"

"...Yeah, even I know that's rude." Not really knowing what to do or say, I walked forward and pulled Greil's other arm over my shoulders, so that I could help Ike carry him. I also… hoped that maybe if I got closer, I would find some sign of life. But there was nothing. No chest movement. No breath. No reaction. No pulse. Nothing. "We're almost at the fort. Castle."

"I thought so." Ike managed a laugh, but it sounded wrong. Choked. "Lets see him be rude when Mist is…"

"I think you should line everyone up to give him a scolding. They're all probably worried now."

"Sounds like fun!" The cheer was so forced… it hurt to see… "Watch out, Father! I'm going to get you back!"

We went back and forth on 'ideas', really just me saying nonsense to play along and him rambling nonsense to keep from breaking down. The rain continued, a light drizzle that did nothing but soften the ground and slow our progress. So, by the time we arrived… well, Mia must've alerted the others, because Titania was waiting with a stern look on her face. A stern look that morphed into heartbreaking terror when she saw us and, more importantly, Greil. She lunged forward and took Greil from both Ike and me, carrying him inside and screaming for Rhys. I took Ike's arm and led him inside as well, since he seemed inclined to just stand there in the drizzle. And inside was chaotic. People yelling, jumping out of the way, things falling this way and that… I had to leave Ike's side briefly to catch a shelf that Gatrie accidentally knocked ajar. I'd done it because it looked like it would hit a stunned Rolf, but I probably shouldn't have left...

"What the hell happened?!" Because somehow in that chaos, Shinon managed to go straight for Ike, lifting him up by the collar and shaking him. "What stupid thing did you do!?" Shinon yelled, glaring at Ike. Ike stared back listlessly, probably not even processing what was going on. But that just made it all the worse for me, and I was closest, so… "What the hell-?!"

"Get off of him!" I snapped, forcing my way between them. I made sure to keep Ike as behind me as possible. "In case you went blind all of a sudden, that blood on him is his father's!" A bit of movement nearly made me whirl, but I saw it was simply Soren taking Ike by the arm and dragging him over to a corner before using a towel to help dry him off. "How about you show some sort of sense for once?"

"Stay out of this!" Shinon made to punch me, but I caught and held his fist. "You're not even-"

"No, I'm not part of your group. But Greil said that you didn't even have to know a person to empathize with them." I met his gaze easily and dug my nails into his skin. If he made it a fight, I'd oblige. As a hawk-Branded, I had more strength than my frame suggested. All Branded were 'weird' like that. It was why beorc hated us, aside from the whole 'goddess dubbed us abomination' thing. "Let him at least breathe, damn it."

"Tch…!" Surprisingly, Shinon did back off, and Oscar wrapped an arm around his shoulder to lead him to the corner opposite from where Ike and Soren were. Just in case, though, I moved to stand in front of Ike again, shielding him while Soren did his best to dry him off, and looked about the room.

Rhys was nowhere in sight, but since Titania was standing near a closed door, I guessed he was in there with Greil, to see if there was anything that could be done. She held Mist in a tight hug, rocking her back and forth and whispering soothing words as Mist shakily clung to her. Boyd and Rolf were nearby, with Rolf clinging to Boyd's shirt, and Boyd holding him in a half-hug, using his other hand to stroke his hair. Gatrie sat alone on the floor by a wall, head in his hands like he had to physically hold it together to keep from snapping. Oscar and Shinon whispered back and forth, and while I was sure it involved harsh words from Shinon, Oscar remained perfectly calm and held onto Shinon. Took a moment to realize Shinon was leaning heavily on him, depending on him to keep him upright. Mia was a bit harder to find, and it wasn't until I looked outside the room that I _did_ find her. At first, I thought she was just standing there awkwardly, but then I saw that her gaze was fixed on the outside. She was standing guard, so that no one in here would have to. So that we could all just wait, wondering if...

After a moment that felt like eternity, the door slowly opened and a bloody Rhys stumbled out, nearly tripping over his own feet. He caught himself on the frame, though. "I… I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly, tears streaming down his face. He wouldn't look at anything but the ground, but the tears were still so easy to see. "I'm sorry…"

Goddess, I hated you. Taking one of the few good beorc… inflicting this pain on these crazy people… if there was a way to see you dead, I'd spend my entire life seeking it out.

* * *

 _Boyd, 18_

 _The middle of the trio of brothers, he's friendly rivals with Ike, frequently poking fun while always being certain to support him. The type of person to always show his emotions, wearing his heart on his sleeve, though he shows his affection mostly with playful teasing. This is especially apparent with Ike, Rolf, and Mist._

 _Wields an axe because his primary teacher in the fighting arts is Titania. Thanks to this training, he's much like Ike: a force to be reckoned with, providing he gets a little more experience. Though, his tendency to skip out on training doesn't exactly help him much, which is why he's still 'on level' with Ike despite having a year or two of mercenary experience on him._

 _The topic of parents is a sore spot for him, and he views walking out on 'family' to be one of the worst kinds of betrayal. This is due to his stepmother running out on them because things were 'difficult', leaving him and Rolf to watch their father die. Alone. And led to Oscar giving up his dream of being a knight just to try and support them._

* * *

Author's note: Funny how the fathers of main lords die in practically every FE game (or are dead prior to the story). The only exception I can think of atm is FE6, where Hector dies instead of Eliwood.

You get bits and pieces about the brothers' past and that Greil saved them through supports and conversations throughout this game (and the next iirc), but you never really get HOW exactly they ended up with Greil, so I made something up. Whose grave was Greil visiting? Well, it wasn't Elena's. You can take a guess or wait until I bring it up again. Either-or.

I felt like the scene with Greil's duel and actual death should just be between Ike and him, hence why Thalia only comes in AFTER Greil has already passed. The game itself jumps to Ike and Mist by Greil's grave, but I thought I'd show some reactions in the immediate aftermath. (For clarification: essentially, she finds Ike shortly after he says the whole 'just a little longer' line that closes out the chapter in game.)

(Also, I'm not exactly making up that story about knives and towels. A teacher of mine told us about how during one black friday, she had a woman pull a knife on her. Over a towel.)

Next Chapter - Despair and Hope


	5. Chapter 4) Despair and Hope

Chapter 4) Despair and Hope

* * *

 _Greil is dead. Who? How? Why? Well, the 'why' might be answered with 'war', except it feels strange. Like there's something bigger going on, even when compared to war. The wind refuses to settle, practically trembling in a quiet fear that holds it silent._

 _And he's dead. Greil is dead. I hate the person who killed him. I hate the person who inflicted this deep and bitter pain on these crazy (but kind) beorc. I hope they burn._

* * *

It was difficult to really describe the hours after Greil's death. There were screams. There was wailing. Then you had worry. After all, Greil hadn't just slipped and fallen or had been mauled by a beast. He'd been killed with a _weapon_. His murderer had been a beorc, no doubt a soldier from Daein. With both of us feeling out of place, Mia and I took turns keeping watch throughout the night. She tended to stay near the ground. Me? I climbed the roof and watched from above. And I was grateful for that because if I'd been on the ground, I might not have seen Ike stumble out of the building in the earliest hours of the morning. I definitely wouldn't have see him stumble towards the woods.

I stayed where I was until he actually entered the woods, and then I moved to follow, keeping my distance. I didn't want to intervene (unless he was about to kill himself, but I had my bow just in case I needed to shoot a limb). I just wanted to keep an eye. Of course, the branches and darkness beneath said branches meant I had to get closer than I ordinarily would've wanted, but I doubted Ike noticed me behind and up in the trees. He didn't seem to even notice the branches even when he walked into them, after all. He just kept on walking. On and on and on.

Eventually, he stumbled to a stop and I jumped a few branches closer before looking around, scouting the area. Nothing much, at least on the surface. It was just a clearing among the trees, no doubt a place normally filled with bright flowers and the like. However, the rust color on the grass and the distinct red tinge to the mud told me this was no 'simple' clearing. This was where Greil received his fatal wound. Greil's bloodstained axe, lying discarded in the mud, confirmed it.

Ike stared at the weapon for a long while before he slowly picked it up. He nearly fell over from the weight, but steadied himself in time, though he had to leave the 'blade' part dragging through the mud. After a moment, he stumbled off to the side and picked up something else. A strangely clean sword, still in its scabbard. Ike was able to carry it a little more easily than the axe, but the weight of both (and the weight of what they meant to him) made him teeter and totter as he tried to make his way back. He tripped over every branch and rock in his path, and at one point, nearly fell. That was when I jumped down and steadied him. If he fell, I wasn't sure he'd have the strength to get up on his own right now.

"Thalia?" he croaked, staring at me in complete incomprehension. I was honestly surprised he'd recognized me in his dazed state. "When did you…? How…?"

"I saw you leave," I answered softly, making sure he was standing as firm as possible. Then I hooked my bow over my shoulder and rested one hand on his back before bracing his shoulder with the other. "Come on. I'll help."

"...Thanks…"

We walked back silently. Ike carried the two weapons, not explaining anything. And I didn't ask, because not only did I not think it was my place, but I knew how painful it could be to talk of things like this. Instead, I just focused on keeping him steady and he focused on not dropping anything. It was slow going, but between the hard night and the early hour, no one had really noticed our absence. Only Soren, who waited for us patiently by the door, reading through a book as the first of the sun's rays signaled the dawn.

"Welcome back," Soren greeted, spying us almost immediately. He marked his place before shutting his book and standing up. "You could have woken me, you know."

"I… wasn't really thinking, truthfully…" Ike mumbled, trying to react. Emote. But all he came off as was tired. "I just… I had to get his axe."

"Of course." Soren's eyes fell on the sword, and he raised a brow at it. When Ike remained silent, though, he simply shrugged off his cloak and took the sword to wrap it in it. "No one is going to notice an extra sword with our supplies, particularly since I handle inventory. You can talk about it when you're ready."

"...Thanks, Soren…" He tried to walk forward, but I had to steady him again to keep him from falling. "Ah…"

"We'll leave the axe by the door." Soren took it too, and he almost fell over from the weight. I could've laughed, except Soren grit his teeth and forced himself to drag it. Carrying this weight so that Ike could have an easier burden. "We need to get you out of those muddy clothes. Come on."

I continued supporting Ike until Soren left the axe by the door and dropped the sword off with the other bits of random items they had. Then Soren took over caring for Ike, and I headed to Mia's room to knock on the door and wake her for next watch. I waited just long enough for her to open the door with a yawn before heading towards my own room to rest my eyes. However, I decided to take a detour and check on Mist instead and I was glad I did. I found her half-collapsed by her bed, covering her mouth as she tried to muffle her sobbing.

"...Oh, Mist…" I whispered, hesitating by the door. Then, after a moment, I walked in and sat down beside her and rubbed her back. "Mist, I'm afraid I don't know much about comforting people, but I do know of the pain you're going through." She looked up at me, her face a mess of tears. "If there's something I can do for you, you need only ask."

"C-c-can I…?" she began shakily. She coughed and choked on the words (and snot), but I simply waited until she could say what she wanted. "Hug?"

"Of course."

I was sure it was an awkward hug. I wasn't used to this. But Mist didn't seem to mind. She clung and sobbed, and I held her as best as I could until she cried herself to sleep, which took quite a while. When I was certain she wouldn't wake, I picked her up and… attempted to tuck her in? It was a bad attempt, truthfully. I could tell that instantly, though I couldn't see just what. Thankfully, I didn't have to awkwardly fuss for long.

"Close, but you shouldn't bunch it." Boyd reached around me and fixed the blankets, showing me what he meant. "Was going to ask if she was up for food, but clearly, she needs more sleep, huh?" he murmured, smiling wanly at me. He had dark circles under his puffy eyes, and his complexion was more than a little gray. "Not sure any of us slept well. Well…" He studied my face with a frown before laughing hollowly. "You did?"

"I can make do with less sleep," I explained, shrugging. I had to, living alone as I did. "But truthfully, Mia and I have been taking turns between keeping watch and sleeping. A little bit of sleep can boost you enough."

"Watch? Wh… oh, wait, duh." He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "Should've thought of that."

"You should probably rest a bit more, actually." I hesitated before patting his back. "Let Mia and I do this for you. You lost a good man. A good father."

"...Yeah…" Boyd smiled brokenly. "We did."

I stayed with him for a bit longer, mostly to see if Mist would wake, and then I headed outside to switch out with Mia again, since it had been a while. When she headed inside, I made sure to climb to the roof so that I could see everything more clearly. Of course, by now, the rest had woken up and my focus was mostly on them. Rolf was just outside the walls, picking flowers and braiding them together into some sort of circle. Meanwhile, Rhys had Greil's body laid out on the ground and he was, for some reason, 'neatening' Greil's appearance. Not far away, Titania, Oscar, Shinon, and Gatrie took turns digging a large and deep hole. Soren appeared briefly to drag the axe over to them before heading back inside, no doubt watching over Ike as Boyd watched over Mist.

And me? I watched over all of them, and kept an eye on the horizon. This was all I could do, after all. So, I might as well do it.

* * *

Mia and I traded off all day, which led to an interesting thing of me napping even while the sun was setting. At least, I napped for a bit. Arguing, however, woke me up before long and I rolled out of bed in an instance, thinking there might be a fight or something. But when I noticed it was _just_ arguing, I relaxed and headed to the window, since that's where the noise was. Almost immediately, the source became obvious; Boyd and Oscar were talking-arguing with Shinon and Gatrie. I briefly wondered why, but when I noticed Shinon and Gatrie had their things (while Boyd and Oscar didn't), I had a guess. But that was definitely not my business, so I stepped away and, after some stretching, left my room to go down the hall, deciding I'd just take over for Mia a little early. However, I didn't get very far. After all, Ike was there, carrying a sleeping Mist on his back, and I made sure to get out of the way as he carried her to her room, where Rhys and Rolf waited. They got her settled into her bed, all tucked in, and Ike left, heading down the hall… towards one of the exits, which seemed strange to me, given how the sun was setting.

"Ike, are you heading back outside?" I asked softly. He froze mid-step and then stiffly glanced back at me. "That way heads outside."

"...Oh." That was the only reply he had and he stepped back, looking around and trying to get his bearings. "I… uh…" he began, frowning. He couldn't remember the way. I didn't blame him one bit. "Soren? Titania?"

"They're probably in the main room place." I caught up with him and nudged him down a different hall. Mia could get me if this ran over, but making sure he didn't get lost was a good idea. "Here, I'll show you."

I ended up actually having to hold onto Ike's arm to make sure he made it there. He tried his best, but he hadn't been sleeping and it showed. Plus, he was still in shock and that just made everything seem like blood, sticking to everything and making it hard to move. So, whenever he mumbled an apology, I waved it off and continued helping him, all the way to the main room, where Titania and Soren were. Just as I'd guessed.

"Ike…" Unsurprisingly, Soren was the first one to notice us. I purposely made sure to hang back, even as Ike joined Titania and Soren by the table. "Did you just come back in?" Soren asked, picking up a blanket from the chair and slinging it around Ike. "You're freezing."

"Yeah, it's surprising how cold spring nights can get," Ike tried to joke. He clung to the blanket and Soren adjusted it to make sure that it didn't fall. "But yes, just now. Probably should've come in sooner, huh?"

"No, but I _am_ glad Soren had the foresight to warm these blankets," Titania murmured, fussing over the blanket too. Soren stepped back to give her more room. "Any colder and I swear your ears would freeze off." She gently pulled Ike into a one-armed hug, providing both warmth and comfort. "Where's Mist?"

"She's asleep in her room," Ike answered, leaning against her shoulder. He closed his eyes briefly, just for a breath. A breath to relax and soak in the warmth. "Rhys and Rolf are with her."

"That's good. She needs the rest. She's been through too much. We all have…" Titania pulled Ike a little closer. "You should rest too."

"I'll be alright. Grief won't bring my father back to life. If it did, then Mother would be with us and…" Ike bowed his head. "I know I've been quite the burden. Thank you, both of you, for-"

"Ah. Not another word. Family helps each other, silly." Titania smiled. It was dimmer and sadder than her normal smiles. "Don't trouble yourself. You've been no burden."

"...Wow, I think this is the first time we've agreed on something," Soren… he probably meant for it to be a simple observation, but his natural dryness made it sarcastic. Still, it got a smile out of Ike, and a quiet laugh out of Titania. "But she's right. You've been no burden. You never could be."

"Thank you…" Ike whispered. He didn't smile, but there was something warm in his gaze anyway. Before he looked around curiously. "Hey, where's the rest?"

"Well…"

"I can't believe those assholes!" There came Boyd, unintentionally bringing the answer to with him as he stormed into the room from one of the outside doors. His eyes blazed with burning fury, like he'd spit fire in a moment. "They didn't even look back!" he snapped, practically snarling. "Heartless scum! I'll never forgive them!"

"As you can probably guess, it went poorly," Oscar 'explained', striding in after his brother. Though he appeared visibly calmer, his rigid posture hinted that he felt similarly. I peeked outside the nearest window that faced their direction, and just barely saw Shinon and Gatrie leaving. "Waste of breath and time, really."

"Those utter bastards! If I see them again, I'm-!"

"What's going on?" Ike asked, frowning. An awkward silence fell, and I raised a brow, wondering if they were really going to keep this secret. "Boyd doesn't lose his temper like this often. So…"

"It's simple, really," Soren began, ignoring the pointed looks sent his way. "Shinon and Gatrie have left us." He rolled his eyes as the others protested the bluntness. "You don't think we could hide it, right? Within two hours, the lack of assault on words Gatrie calls poetry will have clued him in. No, wait, it would be less because the air is noticeably less blue from Shinon's curses and insults."

"...And they left because of me, right?" Ike spoke quietly, with a smile of bitter resignation on his face. It was painful to see, really. "Because I'm… I'm going to lead."

"Yes, of course. We all knew this would happen, though it is sooner than any of us would like. Greil never hid his decision from anyone. So, if they don't like it, they're free to leave." Soren shrugged and crossed his arms, unbothered. Unlike the rest. "The lessened strength is troubling, but can be made up by recruiting new members. We already have that Mia girl, for instance, assuming she wishes to stay. We'll survive."

"How can you say that?!" Boyd snapped again. This time, though, it was less snarling and more pained. "After all the years… how can you…?!"

"Well, I think they made their own thoughts about our supposed bonds all too clear," Soren retorted harshly, eyes sparking with quiet anger. He calmed when Ike poked his arm in warning. "And out of everyone here, I've been here the least. Only Rhys has spent less time with us. So, someone needs to be logical if we're to make it through this. It makes the most sense for me to do it. Not even going into how softhearted the lot of you are."

"Well, yes, but…"

Soft footsteps caught my ear and I glanced down the hallway to see Rhys coming, so I nodded to him and ducked out the door. I felt like whatever was discussed from then on was meant for them and them alone. So, I headed outside to check on Mia. She hadn't gotten me yet, despite how long it had been. I wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Hey, Thalia!" And she was perfectly fine, if hanging upside down in front of me again. This time it was because she was hanging off the wall. "I saw Shinon and Gatrie leaving," she said, like hanging upside while conversing was normal. Perhaps it was? "What's up?"

"They're don't want to be led by Ike, and he's taking over the mercenaries," I explained, glancing to the side. From here, it was easy to see Greil's grave. His axe served as the marker, along with the flowers Rolf had woven together. I had watched them bury him, and knew it was special to them. So special that you couldn't call it a 'waste of energy' or anything of the sort. "So, they left."

"Huh. Well, luck to them, I guess?" She frowned for a moment before shrugging. It looked strange upside down as she was. "What are you doing up? Pretty sure it's still my watch."

"Boyd and Oscar attempted to stop them, and the resulting 'conversation' woke me."

"Aaahhh…" She pulled herself up into a proper seating position before jumping down. Her face was very red. I didn't know beorc faces could go that red without being smashed in. "I think they're just grieving in their own way. Willing to bet that they'll be back once they're not as unsettled." That was very optimistic. "But if you don't mind…"

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and take over." I took a running leap to jump off the wall and used that to hop and climb my way to the roof. I needed the exercise. "Get some sleep."

She yawned and headed in, rubbing her eyes sleepily. I took a deep breath and let myself relax to listen to the wind. It was heavy, saddened by the recent loss… no, recent losses. It carried the weight of many dead from the north, from Crimea. It reminded me of Elincia, and I wondered how she was doing. Was she okay? Was she getting the help she needed? I hoped so. I mean; the whole reason I was in this mess was because I had wanted to help her. And now… well, now I was…

"Hey, Boyd?" Ike's voice startled me, and I swung around to lay on my stomach and peek over the edge of the roof. Ike and Boyd were below me, with Ike still wearing the blanket around his shoulders. Guess the group discussion was over. "Are you sure you're all right with this?" he asked, expression somewhere between 'stoic' and 'blank'. "Me being commander? You taking orders from me?"

"Well, if things get _super_ dangerous, I admit to being hesitant," Boyd answered honestly. He also made sure to meet Ike's gaze calmly, hiding nothing. "I know what you can and can't do, but more importantly, Ike, so do you. And I have faith in Commander Greil. He had faith in you. Stands to reason that I hold faith in you as well, right?"

"That's…" Ike half-smiled. "You really did look up to him, huh?"

"More than that. I mean, Commander Greil…" Boyd closed his eyes, forcing back tears so that he could talk. "After Dad died, I had to take care of Rolf. And it was hard. It was hard even after Oscar received a discharge. But Commander Greil found us and gave us our lives back. Food to eat, a place to sleep, jobs… he gave us all of that."

"Boyd, you all have worked off any and all debt you may have owed." Ike shook his head roughly. "You have no obligation-"

"It's not about obligation. It's about how we're _family_." Boyd's voice was stern, clipped, and a little hurt. Like he couldn't believe Ike would think 'obligation' had anything to do with this. "I'll do anything to protect my family. Besides, it's not just Commander Greil who gave us our lives back. It was you, too." He fell silent, gathering his words, and Ike remained quiet to let him. "I don't think you remember, since it's kind of just how you are, but when we first met... when my brothers and I first arrived at the stronghold, you rushed up to us and said 'welcome home'."

"...I do actually remember that. Vaguely."

"It was literally the first thing you said to us. I'm not sure Commander Greil had even explained that we'd be working for him. You just accepted us, and you noticed immediately how tired Rolf was and carried him on your back inside. You introduced us to Titania, Mist, and Shinon, showed us our rooms…" Boyd shrugged, looking away in embarrassment. "So, I mean… you really showed us that this was more than just a job. It was family. So, even if I'm a bit unsure, you can count on me."

"...Careful now." Ike slowly smiled. It wavered and it was sad, but it was a smile. "I'm going to work you to the bone."

"You can try!" Boyd clapped Ike on the shoulder. "And seriously, don't hold us at arm's length, okay? I get wanting to be alone, but I also know what it's like to lose a parent."

"I know. I'm not alone." Ike chuckled and then nodded to the door. "Let's bug Oscar for some food. I'm not hungry, but I know I need to eat."

"Sounds good to me!" Boyd slung his arm over Ike's shoulders to lead him in. "He's probably already there!"

Boyd kept on chattering, focusing on lighter things, and I sat back up to listen to the noise as it faded. Much as I liked silence, I had to admit there was something nice about hearing him work so hard to make sure Ike didn't wallow in misery. That must be what it was like to have people help you through grief. It was a wonderful thing to witness, and truly reminded me of how beorc were just like a pack.

"Greil, I think they'll be okay," I found myself whispering, glancing over at the grave. The fading light shone on the axe, almost making the blade sparkle. Sparkle like a laugh. "I'll… I'll stay until I'm sure, though. So you rest."

I must be going mad, talking to the dead. But it felt right to say.

* * *

The next couple of days were… well, Mia and I at least fell into a pattern. And that pattern was 'taking watch in turns', since the others were still picking themselves off the ground. But there was no sign of… anyone, really. And that made me frown, because… why just kill Greil? Sure, he was a good fighter, but he'd just been a mercenary, right? Why go out of your way to kill a single mercenary and then leave? There had to be more to it. Beorc were _never_ content with a single kill. They were too bloodthirsty for that.

"I feel like I'm missing something," I murmured, crouched on the roof as usual. Though for this watch, I had a snack Oscar made for me. He was finally feeling steady enough to make regular meals for everyone, though it was all things that kept well since everyone's appetites were still all over the place. "Most of the time, beorc and laguz kill each other over simple idiocies, but this doesn't feel like that." Or, rather, Greil's death didn't feel like that. The soldiers we'd fought before? Sure. But not his. "Does it feel that way because I knew him personally? Or is there really something more to this?"

Sighing, I made myself sit down properly and finished off the last of the… whatever Oscar had made me. Some breaded thing with vegetables baked into it. I thought he'd called it a pat-zee or pasty or something. But pasty sounded like glue, and this wasn't glue. Or it wasn't yet, at least. But hey, it was food and it was good, and it let me focus on something besides my circling thoughts. Not even the good circling, like a hawk watching prey. More like the circling of a wounded bird about to crash into a tree. Overthinking never led to good things. You just had to try and go with the flow, and if you overthought, you'd miss your chance to strike.

I'd just chomped down the last bite of the snack when I noticed something odd on the horizon. A small dust cloud, slowly building. I narrowed my eyes to continue watching, noting that the 'cloud' was focused on the road. Eventually, I was able to pick out shapes and decided it was a wagon. A wagon with a handful of people, heading towards us. At that point, I climbed down to inform Titania. This seemed important enough, and it was the first sign of life on the road since we arrived.

"A wagon?" Titania repeated after I finished reporting. She frowned thoughtfully, eyes slightly distant. Her eyes were also red-rimmed, hinting she'd been crying earlier. I didn't point it out. I had a suspicion that she wanted to keep that quiet. "Did you happen to see how many people?"

"Only about four or five, and they weren't wearing that weird armor," I answered, shrugging. I hadn't paid much attention besides that. I just knew they were definitely not laguz. "I can go back and take another look?"

"No, that's fine. That just adds more weight to my suspicion that these are merchants, not soldiers." She smiled thinly and patted my shoulder. Immediately, the memory of Greil patting my head appeared in my mind, followed quickly by the fainter memories of Father doing the same. "Can you get Ike for me?"

"Sure." I hesitated before smiling at her. I really had no idea what to do. "Be right back."

Of course, finding him was easier said than done. The castle was a large place, or at least it was large by my standards, and there were many places to hide. Assuming that Ike hadn't gone into the woods or something. So, I first checked his room and then Mist's room before deciding to just find Soren and have him find him for me. However, I got lucky. A frustrated groan led me right to Ike, mostly because the groan came from Mia and she and Ike were talking in the middle of the hall.

"I never know what to say in situations like this!" she complained, flailing a bit. Ike just watched, and took a half-step back when she almost hit him. "But ah… this isn't just trying to repay your dad or anything. Me staying, I mean. Nor is it about safety in numbers and the like. I was really impressed!"

"...By?"

"When you all were in the fortress, taking on all those soldiers just to reunite with your fellows! All that opposition, and you never gave up! That's not just impressive; it's inspiring!" She grinned at Ike and, slowly, Ike smiled back. "So, now I have to follow you! It's just how things are. You're a strong swordsman, and I want to get better. You all treat your group as family… hell, you all treated me like family, and we've barely met! So, ah…" Though she still grinned, she became a little more hesitant and sheepish, posture slumping a little to make herself smaller. "Don't tell me to get lost or anything. I'm helpful to have around, and I'm here of my own choosing."

"If that's how you feel, then I won't bring it up again." Ike's smile grew. It was tired and worn, but it was probably the closest to a smile he'd had since I found him in the woods. "I'm counting on you."

"You know it!" She winked and skipped away, laughing. Wondered if she was going to take over the watch shift. "See ya!"

"Yes, until later." Ike watched her leave and then sighed, slumping so much I half-thought he was going to fall. "Surprised she can keep so chipper." She shook his head and turned to walk the other way. Which was exactly where I was. "Oh, Thalia…" Ike waved at me, and I came over. "Funny. You were the next one I wanted to check in on."

"That so?" I asked, studying him with a frown. He didn't sleep last night again. I could tell by the bags under his eyes and how grey his complexion was. "What is it?"

"What do you plan on doing?" ...Ah, that was… "I mean… you've already gone above and beyond for us and…"

"Well…" That was a good question. And a good point. I still wanted to get away from all this trouble, yet I had promised Greil, and... "I think I'm going to make sure you make it to the castle safely. We'll see what happens from there." I shrugged and held up my arm to show the bandages. Rhys changed them every day; I had a feeling the routine helped ground him. "I mean… I am still technically injured."

"That's true." Ike smiled in noticeable relief. "Thank you. I mean it. You've been keeping an eye on all of us ever since…" He trailed off, and I waited to see if he'd say more. "I think something's wrong with me."

"Hmm?"

"I was saying this to Rhys earlier, but I… I can't cry. For Father. I'm just… I'm completely numb. It's like none of this is real, or that I'm not real. Like a ghost or a ghostly world." He didn't quite look me in the eye, and I struggled to figure out how to react. The only hint I possibly had was… was a brief memory of something Father did with particularly morose patients. And since I was at a loss, I went with it and pinched Ike's cheek. Hard. "Ow…!"

"See? You're not as numb as you think you are. And you're very real." I held onto his cheek for a little longer before letting go. "You're alive and you're right here. And your father isn't. That's a painful wound, and all living creatures react to pain differently. They mourn differently. Whether they be beast or beorc or laguz, each person's grief and grieving process is completely individual. That's what I've seen, at least." Hesitantly, I ruffled his hair. My fingers tangled a bit in the strands, but I hoped the feeling came across. "Some cry. Others scream. Some kill themselves. Some kill other people. Grief is messy. Pain is messy. I mean… just think of how much you bleed and stuff when you hurt your body. Just because it's your spirit doesn't mean you're bleeding any less, right?"

"I… no, I suppose not."

"And when your body gets a particularly bad injury, or you're in a fight and you're hurt… it goes numb, because it's fighting to survive. So, that's all it could be as well. Your spirit has suffered such a serious wound that it's made you numb so that you can continue thinking and moving. Until it's safe to bleed and hurt." I really hoped I was making sense here. I was just rambling, piecing together some vague, old memories. "You might cry a few days, months, or even years from now. You might never. None of that is wrong, Ike. It doesn't mean you didn't love him, nor does it mean you don't hurt."

"Ha… that makes sense." He smiled ruefully, painfully. Though he didn't cry, I could almost see the tears anyway. "Hey, this is going to sound tactless, but you lost your parents too, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. They were both murdered. My father directly, and my mother… through inaction." I didn't really want to bring up the whole Branded thing. Not while we were in Gallia, at least. "I don't think I cried, actually. I certainly don't remember it." I couldn't remember the last time I cried at all, actually. Eventually, it just turned into 'wasting water' to me. "And I survived. I lived. I don't remember my parents much at all, but I still love them with all my heart. And I miss them every day."

"I see." Ike nodded slowly and thankfully let that painful smile drop. "I just need to keep going, huh?"

"I think so. You'll find your own way of mourning and processing the pain." I hesitated a bit before smiling. "Greil told me that as long as you and Mist were alive and happy, he could want for nothing else. So, grieve and push forward. Find things to laugh about, or even just… deal with or something." And I was definitely at the end of my fraying vine here. "By the way, Titania wanted to talk to you."

"She did?" Ike looked confused, but nodded again, already walking down the hall. "Thanks." He gripped my shoulder, and I got the feeling he was thanking me more for the words than the message. Glad my rambling had helped. "And, again, thank you for staying."

"...I'll be here for as long as you need a weird girl from the forest." I smiled like it was a joke, but in my heart, I knew… I knew it really wasn't.

I couldn't leave people who needed help and I… I _really_ couldn't just leave people to grieve. Especially when they grieved someone like Greil, who so reminded me of my own father. So, I'd stay with them at least until they were at the castle. By then, I was sure they'd be okay. It would be dangerous, since I was a Branded, but I couldn't leave them. And I wouldn't.

* * *

The group had, in fact, been a group of traveling merchants. Four or five of them. And they offered to stay and work for the mercenaries in exchange for shelter and protection. Or so I was told. I kept my distance after the woman merchant (Aimee or something like that) had tried to ambush me and strip me of my clothes. Something about how they didn't 'suit me' and how she had things that would 'look better'. I just escaped and did my best to keep escaping because I didn't know what the hell she meant. The clothes covered me and kept me warm. What else did clothes have to do?

"She is as persistent as a starving predator," I grumbled, slipping out of my room as quietly as possible. I had to, in order to avoid being ambushed. Mist and Mia had already had entire days stolen due to her catching them, as had Boyd and Ike. "Maybe that's what she is. She eats everyone's time to keep herself youthful or something." I vaguely remembered some ghost stories involving that, actually. Or maybe that had been bathing in blood, though that one was definitely ridiculous. You didn't see beorc and laguz get any younger after their battles. "Looks clear…" So, I quickly escaped my room and the hall to head outside. My plan had been to hide on the roof. But it seemed that someone else was also hiding there: Soren.

"I swear that they're taking their time to make themselves feel superior, wretched beasts." In his case, though, it was to grumble where no one could hear him. "If they had just been faster, then Greil might be…" Soren continued, speaking quietly to try and hide the words. He even ducked his head, using his hair to hide his face, but his clenched fists showed his anger anyway. "He deserved a better end. Ike doesn't deserve this sort of pain. None of them do. Well, maybe Shinon. But…" He growled under his breath; I noticed it didn't _quite_ sound like a 'beorc' growl. "This is why I wanted to stay out of all of this, damn it. Well, that and people just..."

"You want me to pretend I didn't hear any of that and leave?" I asked, interrupting him. He glanced over at me with a scowl, eyes quietly burning. "Sorry, I'm trying to escape the grabby merchant lady, and I like the roof. People don't think to look up."

"Grabby… ah, the lady who is interested in Ike." He sighed, still scowling. "I would appreciate if you kept what I said quiet."

"Sure. Want me to leave? I was just planning on keeping watch."

"No, I want eyes on the road. The wind has me unsettled." Did it now? I didn't sense anything in particular, but he _was_ a mage. He'd be way more attuned to the wind than me. "Well, since you _did_ eavesdrop, what do you think? About the laguz."

"In general or these circumstances?" I sat down next to him, since that gave me the best view of the road. "I just hope they _are_ coming and that they're not just leaving everyone to slowly 'bleed out', so to speak." While most of the time, laguz killed beorc more quickly, I couldn't help but remember my mother's death. "Titania seems to have faith, though."

"For reasons I doubt I will ever be able to understand, Titania has faith in everyone." He scoffed and slowly relaxed, even sitting as well. "I don't have any idea how she got to be her age and still hold onto such idealism."

"You say that like she's super old." That did make me wonder, though. How old was he? And how old was I? I had never really cared, save for the odd thought now and again, but it was still a curiosity. I supposed it was eight plus however long it had been since Serenes burned. It had been either shortly before or shortly after rumors of that spread when my parents died. After some lady got assassinated. I vaguely remembered Father's sadness over it. "If they do show up though, it's going to be a pain."

"All of this is a pain anyway." He had a point there. "It really was stupid of you to not seize the chance to escape when you could." He also had a point there. Even if it did make me quite curious why he was so loyal to Ike that he stuck around anyway. "Why did you even help her?"

"Because I refused to be like the laguz." I made a face before shrugging. "The others go about me being kind and all, but if anything, it's out of spite. I won't refuse help to someone just because I think their existence is a blight on the world. It's a false moral high ground, but the child in me laughs in satisfaction at it."

"Still think it's stupid, but at the same time, I can't quite fault it. Aggravating, really." He sighed, closing his eyes, and I could only smile bitterly. I'd figured he'd understand. I had no doubts he'd experienced something similar to me, when it came to the laguz. "You're the one who shot her, didn't you? The princess."

"Yep." No point hiding it, and my bluntness got a small smirk out of him, so I didn't think he minded. "Just because I decide to help doesn't mean I have to be nice about it. I mean… I might _now_ …" But honestly, that was more because of Greil. And Elincia being sweet. "But at the time, it was just all about efficiency. Not like I had arrows to spare."

"And now, you're our only archer. Ike told me that you'll be staying at least until we reach the castle." He glanced at me. "Your range is farther than expected."

"By beorc standards." I smiled bitterly again. "Good sight and strength from my heritage, as well as an ability to read the wind to some degree. If I can see it, I can shoot at it. Used to be 'kill', but beorc have this stupid thing called armor that I'm still adapting to."

"Given how far your sight is, though, even a glancing blow can be enough." He closed his eyes, and I knew he was already thinking of just how to utilize that. "...The wind…"

"Hmm?" Now that he mentioned it, I noticed there was something off about the wind as well and I focused on the road, eyes narrows. It didn't take long at all for me to pick out shadows, and this time… "Oh, hell." This time, I could tell they were soldiers. They marched too uniformly to be anything else. And there were a lot. There were a _lot_. Maybe… maybe this was why they made sure to take out Greil? To lessen the chances of us…? "They're barely in my sight, but I don't even want to try counting right now."

Soren didn't even bother replying. He was already climbing down. After a moment longer of observing, just to see if there was anything particularly unusual that I could see, I followed, half falling in my haste. I landed well enough, though, so I continued inside, getting to the main room just as the others were arriving. Someone must've yelled for them, or seen Soren running and known something was wrong.

"Thalia, this isn't what I think it is, is it?" Boyd asked as soon as he noticed me. He stood rigidly by the window, peering out. "I can't see much yet, but…" I wasn't sure what to say, but he apparently found answer in my silence. "Oh, goddess damn it all… What gives? We're inside Gallia's borders, right?"

"If they've come this far into the territory, then getting out alive wasn't one of their priorities," Oscar murmured, pulling Rolf into his side. Rolf clung to his shirt, looking at everyone worriedly. I tried to get a handle on the others, but all I really saw was Mist doing her best to help Rhys gather medical supplies, while everyone else stood, waiting and tense. "This is about pride, and ensuring Princess Elincia loses allies. Possibly also to make a statement against Gallia that they're next." Was it all that? Beorc were so stupid sometimes. A lot of the time.

"Shit."

"That's a fairly apt description of the situation," Soren murmured, stepping a bit away from Ike and Titania to address the group. I, however, caught sight of something through the window and went over to look. "...Is there more, Thalia?"

"In the woods, yes," I confirmed softly, narrowing my eyes. I couldn't get numbers, thanks to the branches, but these soldiers didn't know the first thing about stealth and camouflage. I could easily see them. "This is the farther side from the road, so if they're here…"

"Then we are surrounded." That was definitely it. I didn't like that. Last time we were 'surrounded', I ended up on fire. "We certainly can't escape. Our numbers are few…" Soren closed his eyes, thinking. "But we have some advantages that I believe we can still utilize. If we're lucky, we can force them into a temporary retreat and, with a little less luck, break open a path to escape."

"We already know they're not going to accept a surrender, so whatever you come up with, Soren, is what we're going with," Ike declared firmly, standing taller than I'd seen since Greil died. I wouldn't say he was back to how he was before, but there was a definite resolution in his eyes, a determination to not falter. "Everyone else, gather everything you even _think_ you might need. Once we're on the field, I highly doubt we're going to be able to duck back for extra weapons unless we're very lucky on timing. Move out, everyone!"

And everyone began scrambling. Mist and Rolf were shoved into the back rooms that were somewhat defensible and, more importantly, away from the fighting. Everyone else gathered what armor and weapons they had. Or what the merchants handed out. Because they were quite enthusiastic at making sure we had things. One of them even gave me a brand new bow and arrows, while another gave me a medicinal pack. It surprised me and I realized as I headed out and climbed up to the roof that I… might need to learn the rest of their names soon. Which was annoying, because I didn't want to. I was going to leave! ...Eventually… certainly not now.

"Thalia!" Soren's voice echoed up from below, right around the time I started _hearing_ the soldiers. I already had the bow in hand and an arrow on the string. "Snipe whoever you can, and cover where you're able," he ordered, having no doubts that I heard. I still looked down to nod. "Just conserve shots."

The 'proper' answer to that probably wasn't shooting. I only thought of that later, though, because… well, if I could see it, I could hit it. And the soldiers had long been within my sight. It took a few tries to get used to the bow itself, as it required more strength to draw back than what I was used to. But between it and the metal capped arrows I'd been given, I discovered that armor wasn't as big of an issue as it had been the previous couple of fights. I couldn't get through heavy armor or anything, but the lighter ones weren't troublesome. Thankfully. It meant that I could contribute more to the fight.

Though even with that, I didn't feel like we were making progress. It seemed like every time one fell, two more sprang up from the blood. It reminded me of that monster story I'd heard once or twice, something about a hydra? He-dra? Whichever. Point was that they were endless. And we were few. Though that did mean they were crowded around, desperately trying to kill those 'few'. Soren had quite an easy time, guarded as he was by Titania. He used his wind blades to cut through tens with one 'blade'. Titania and Oscar did similarly, as did their horses. In fact, I guessed their horses had the highest 'kill counts' by far, since they were viciously lashing out with their hooves and trampling soldiers without a single bit of hesitation. Rhys rushed through the courtyard we were holding, healing where he could. Boyd, Mia, and Ike fought where they could, steering clear of the two riders while holding the other chokepoints with everything they had. 'Everything they had'... that more or less described all of us.

At some point during the battle, I noticed something interesting on the… well, from my perspective, it was the 'right'. It was a 'hole' in their formation, and at first, I thought they were just… avoiding a large patch of flowers for some reason. But then I blinked a few times and realized that there were no flowers there. Instead, there was a young girl, who looked incredibly pale and was strangely hard to see, despite being in plain sight. I half-thought she was a ghost or something. But ghosts were fictitious nonsense and she looked noticeably different from the soldiers, so…

"Ike?" I called down, stopping my shooting for a moment. While I waited for him to extract himself from the fighting, I rubbed my aching hand and wrist. I wasn't used to shooting so continuously. Prior to all this, I hunted only to eat. Anything else was gluttony. Now, I hunted what felt like hundreds, and it was all going to waste. "I wonder if there's any carrion eaters around here?" There were crows, of course. Vultures. I remembered a few coyotes, but I hadn't seen any of them in a while…

"Sorry, I'm here!" Ike finally appeared under me, waving to make sure he had my attention. He had a few cuts bleeding sluggishly, but otherwise, seemed fine. If sweaty and bloody. "What is it?" he asked. "See something?"

"Yeah." I stopped rubbing my hand and pointed to where I saw the girl. "There's a strange one over there. Not wearing one of these uniforms. She's a bit hard to see despite that, but…"

"But there's just enough off that it needs to be investigated." Ike nodded, understanding. "I'm going to Soren. Can you focus on covering Mia and Boyd until I return?"

"Of course." I had just been shooting as I saw fit, but it was easy to shift my attention to where they were. "Don't die."

Ike nodded again, and took off, running for Soren immediately. I thought I saw the two have a whispered argument, but I didn't pay attention after that point. Instead, I did my job and worked on shooting as many around Mia and Boyd as I could. A good thing, since Mia had taken a particularly bad hit to the side from a lance at some point. I assumed it was a lance, since it looked like no one else even got close to hitting her. Boyd did his best to watch her back and even held the area alone while Mia fell back to get healed. I narrowed my eyes and grit my teeth each time I saw him take an injury. I had arrows, but I could only shoot one arrow at a time. Could only hurt or kill one soldier at a time. Meaning that even though I managed my usual accuracy, Boyd still faced a lot of danger. Danger that was barely abated by Mia rejoining him. At least, until a giant lightning bolt came from nowhere to bounce through the metal armor of the soldiers and make them screech. That did a lot in giving us room to breathe.

"Wow, she wasn't kidding…" Barely heard Ike murmur that as he returned to the courtyard. To my surprise, though, he smiled up at me. "The girl you saw is going to help us," he explained. I just thought about how that was somewhat similar to how Mia got caught up in this. "She's a thunder mage, and actually with the merchants here. Or was before getting lost in the chaos."

"That so?" I asked, choosing not to really react. I wasn't sure why all that needed to be relayed to me… wait, no, I had one idea. "I need to add her to who I'm covering, then?"

"Yeah, though she'll keep back like Soren."

That was all he said before jumping back into the fight, drawing strength from somewhere in order to cleave straight through a few of them. I watched for a moment, to make sure they were okay, and then turned my attention to the other parts of the battlefield. Right in time to feather some soldiers that had gotten too close to Oscar for his horse to deal with directly. In the middle of shooting them, pain burst down my fingertips and I looked down to see they were bleeding. The slight pause also alerted me to the stinging on my left arm, from the bowstring hitting it so constantly. I hadn't had either happen to me in a very long time, and it was startling to see. But I shook my head and went back to shooting, thinning the front out as much as I could before taking out soldiers farther away. Which meant I was probably the first to notice when Ike got cut off from the courtyard, a missed blow sending him beyond the enemy lines. At that point, I focused on him and him alone, shooting to get him somewhat of a path. Mia and Boyd jumped in on it too, as soon as they realized what happened.

"What are you doing, boy?" At that point, though, someone began speaking. "This is no place for an officer!" Or, rather, they were shouting, at Ike. For some reason. "Soldiers fight and officers lead!" they boomed, glaring at Ike for some reason. Ike sighed, like he was annoyed by the whole thing. "That is the foundation of war!" I had no idea what he was trying to differentiate. They all died when someone shot them in the face.

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm a mercenary," Ike replied dryly with the most droll look on his face. He was definitely unimpressed with the impromptu lesson. "No officer or military. I fight and bleed alongside my fellows. I don't have the right to lead otherwise."

"Tch.. this is no child's game, boy!" The soldier swung at Ike, but Ike dodged. I pulled my arrow back to aim. "This is war! There's only one thing that matters in war!" Another swing. Another dodge. But since the soldier was still in the same place, I loosed the arrow. "Who fights and who dies!" And that was when my arrow hit him through the eye.

"Well, I guess he matters now?" I whispered to myself, watching him die with a barely a gasp. Ike, amusingly, looked this way and that, trying to figure out where I was. "Ike, get back here before you give Titania and Soren heart attacks!" I didn't really need to say that. Boyd and Mia had reached him and hauled him back themselves, all the way to the courtyard and standing under where I was. Boyd returned to the fighting; Mia went to get Rhys. I made myself smile at him in amusement. "Ike, I don't think I've moved once this entire battle. Did it really take you that long?"

"I thought you moved closer!" Ike protested, words heavy from exhaustion. Even his smile was tired as he squinted up at me. "I can't believe you got him in the eye from here."

"He stayed still, like an idiot. And was too focused on talking." Ambushing was easy, once you knew how.

"For however long you stay with us, we should make that a strategy. Bait the leader into talking forever and then assassination!" He did his best to be excited about it, but it was easy to see how much he was forcing it. But his eyes quickly widened. "Thalia!"

That's all I heard before pain exploded somewhere around my shoulderblade. My vision went white and I gasped before whirling to try and figure out what the hell hit me. It took a moment to realize there was an arrow stuck in my back. Even then, I more figured it out by seeing the archer in the trees, aiming for me again. Gritting my teeth, I contorted to use the bow to rip the arrow out of my back. Another burst of pain, followed by a sticky warmth that I didn't like on my sweaty back. But a quick check showed the arrow was still viable, so I aimed and shot, catching the archer in the face. But looking behind showed me just how badly off we were. They swarmed around us, all pressing towards the front like a great oak tree's slow fall, ready to obliterate everything in its path.

"Brother!" To make matters worse? Mist was suddenly out here in the courtyard. Same with Rolf, who bolted for Boyd to hold onto him. "Ike, this is it, isn't it?" she asked softly, dully, barely loud enough to be heard. There was no trace of any sort of emotion on her face, and it looked completely unnatural. "We're going to die."

"No, we're not," Ike snapped, gripping her by the shoulder. His hands shook; he was exhausted. "We're still fighting. So, head back in and-"

"I'm not afraid to die. We'll see Father and Mother again, right?" Ow… that… that hurt. That hurt all the more because I could so easily remember Greil's words and his smile as he talked about his children… "But I want to stay with you."

"Mist, that isn't…!" Ike struggled for words, and I glanced over to see Rolf and Boyd having a similar argument. Though, Rolf was at least more emotional, thankfully. "You…"

"So few soldiers, yet you managed to defeat our general?" And the first of the soldiers broke through the meager defenses we had to reach the courtyard. There was nothing special about them, save that they managed to dodge the axe Titania desperately threw at them. "Quite impressive," they murmured, bowing their head slightly. I felt like the words were sincere. "But this is where it ends." They flipped around their lance and looked straight at Ike. Ike tucked Mist behind him. I reached for an arrow to shoot, but discovered to my horror that… that I was out of arrows. "I'll make it quick."

"Yes, please, quickly die and get out of my way." Dry, sarcastic words were the only warning anyone got before a gust of wind blasted the soldier into the far wall, over by where Boyd and Rolf were, with enough force that their armor crumpled, the wall itself cracked, and blood went everywhere. "Ugh… annoying," Soren grumbled, casually walking over to where Ike was. His ponytail had fallen out at some point, so his hair was messily strewn all over the place, sticking to his face and neck thanks to sweat and blood. "Ilyana." On cue, more lightning streaked through the sky, electrocuting the soldiers and making the survivors fall back. I squinted and saw the ghost-girl in the shadows of the wall, holding a crackling tome. "Well, I think that's some breathing room."

"Soren, you doing okay?" Ike asked, frowning heavily. Slowly, everyone pulled back to converge and talk. Mist and Rolf were firmly tucked in the middle of the group, and Rhys went around healing everyone he could, despite looking paler than the clouds above our heads. Titania and Oscar dismounted to make it easier; Mia supported his back. "I mean… that seemed like a lot."

"I'm not the one being stupid." He reached around Ike and actually hit Mist (gently… ish…) on the head with his tome. Mist yelped and rubbed her head. "That knock your sense out from wherever you abandoned it? Melodrama isn't going to help anyone."

"Maybe it'll at least get her to believe me when I say we're going to make it." Ike managed a smile, and… well, while everyone seemed a bit dubious, they also smiled. Save Mist, who just frowned. "No seeing my parents yet."

"No, we still have options. And, if nothing else, them converging here means we might be able to force a path open behind us." Soren frowned in thought, and I saw Ilyana join them quietly and, surprisingly, so did the merchants. Aimee reached out and took Mist and Rolf by the shoulders, squeezing them gently. "My priority is getting as many of us out alive as I can."

"You're a genius, Soren. I'm sure you'll get all of us."

"...Well, if I don't, I'm going to hear Titania complain about it."

"I will not," Titania scolded, rolling her eyes. She pulled something from her pocket and pulled Soren's hair back into its normal ponytail. "I'm brushing your hair later for that comment." Soren immediately made a face, and that sparked some laughter. "Oscar and I can play bait. Or, at least, I can."

"No, I can as well," Oscar reassured, leaning a bit on Boyd. Though he looked calm, his posture implied he was as tired as everyone else. "Not for as long, but I can. So, we've got options."

Titania replied. I knew she did. But movement in the distance caught my attention, and I jerked my head up to focus on it. It wasn't long at all before I recognized it as the fast movement from a large beast, too fast for any of the animals that lived around here. "Well, well, well… looks like we've gotten reinforcements," I muttered, unable to help the bitter dryness in my voice. _Now_ they arrived? Really? "Hey, guys?" I looked down and saw all of them had turned their attention to me. "We've got two beast laguz, transformed, heading straight for us."

"Good timing," Ike laughed, smiling in relief. Most of the others smiled with him. Soren rolled his eyes. I was with Soren on this one. "Just the two, or…?"

"Mmm…" I narrowed my eyes to look at the horizon and nodded when I noticed more shadows. More of that fast movement. "There's more. Best guess is that the two in front are the leaders."

"We should get a path for them, then, at the least."

"I'll handle that," Soren sighed, stepping away from the others. He walked right to the entrance of the courtyard, where a few brave soldiers had gathered again, and the wind immediately roared into life around him. I had to cling to the roof to keep from slipping, and I couldn't help but marvel a bit at the power there. This had to be what he'd gotten from his laguz parent. Magical might and speed. Like my eyes and strength. Branded always inherited something from the laguz lineage; not a one was completely 'normal' when compared to beorc. And Soren proved that, by blasting a path clear through the soldiers, opening the way just as those first two laguz reached the edge of the soldiers' formation.

The two beast laguz, cat and tiger, pounced on the soldiers, ripping them to shreds with fang and claw. Those who followed did the same, the beast laguz devouring the enemy army. Those of us in the courtyard sagged, though Soren nearly fell over. Ike caught him, though, and helped him limp over to rest. The others leaned on each other, taking strength from the comforting support. I remained on the roof, watching the battle end in blood.

Well, this was going to be interesting.

* * *

"I can't believe you ripped an arrow out!" Mist scolded, treating my back. Since Rhys had worked himself into a not-quite-faint-but-really-should-be-one state, Mist was helping with everyone's injuries. She's already bandaged my hand and arm, and now was focused on the arrow wound. "And you shot with it! Ugh… and your burns are still healing too!"

"I'm tougher than I look," I replied, doing my best to sit still as she prodded the injury. She was having some trouble cleaning it, since it was a puncture, but I wouldn't complain. "But I'm sorry to worry you."

"Well, that's a better answer than I'm used to getting." She sighed gustily, scowling. I was just glad she was showing emotions again. "Hey, Thalia?"

"Hmm?"

"What's that mark on your stomach?" She pointed to my Brand, and I tried to not stiffen. Since she was treating my back, my shirt was off, meaning it was easy to see. "Titania was wondering too. She thought it was a slavers' brand or something, though, so she didn't want to ask." Right, Titania had helped me bathe. I'd forgotten that she'd seen it. "Is it?"

"It's… certainly a brand." I had no idea how to answer. I never had to. "Let's leave it at that, for now." Probably better to let them come to their own conclusions. If Titania's first thought was slavers and not… well… Branded abomination, that meant I was safer. "Is that okay?"

"Of course! Sorry to be nosy!" Done with cleaning, Mist wrapped some bandages around my torso and then helped me get my shirt back on. "And there!" She smiled triumphantly. "Try to take it easy, and we'll check it in the morning, okay?"

"Okay." I smiled at her, again just… glad to see her smiling. It reminded me of what she'd said outside, and I just… "Hey…"

"Hmm?"

"You know… Greil told me that all he wanted in life was for you and Ike to be happy and safe." I wasn't sure I should be saying this. It should probably be someone closer to her, one of her family. But I reached up to cup her face, and a vague memory of Mother doing the same to me flitted through my head. Something she did when she was impressing on me something important. "So, I'm not sure you should be so willing to die, even if you see your parents again."

"Oh…" Mist squirmed a bit, and I hoped it was regret that she'd said the words. "He said that?"

"Are you really surprised? It didn't look like he was the type to hide how much he loved you both." I smiled sadly and closed my eyes, thinking of Greil. Thinking of my parents. "From what I have experienced and seen, parents… good and true parents, that is… they give everything for their children. Their children are their lights, their joys, and their prides."

"Your parents died, didn't they?"

"Yes, they died to save my life." Father, by holding off the beorc who had attacked us. Mother, by giving me everything she salvaged and keeping none for herself. "That's why I wanted to stay alive, in those awful days after they died. It was hard, but I kept at it." I opened my eyes to look at her. "I don't know how Greil died. But because he reminds me so much of my own parents, I'm certain he'd be devastated if he heard the words you said then."

"...Yeah, he would…" She leaned forward and rested her head on my shoulder. I let my hands fall to her back, now feeling awkward. Really shouldn't be doing this, but if the rambling helped, then hopefully… "Do you miss your parents?"

"Every day." I shook my head, just to feel my feather brush against my cheek. Should I change how I wore it, until I left? So far, I'd been lucky and it had stayed in my hair, but would that last? "Even if I don't remember that much anymore, I miss them. I don't think you ever stop missing those you love. You just… carry them with you, and take strength from it." Or something. I really was just bullshitting at this point.

"I see." Still, Mist smiled. So, maybe the words were comforting. "Makes sense…"

Mist leaned against me for a while longer before straightening and standing up with a hop and a stretch. She insisted on helping me up before leaving to check on Rhys. I decided to see if I could find Ike and ask if he needed me to patrol or something, and thus, went wandering through the castle before finding him in the main room. Mostly because someone yowled 'get him!' really loudly and I ran into there to find an awkward situation. Or, well, I guessed it was tense and awkward and all. There was no fighting or anything, but all I really knew was that Soren was angry enough to make the wind scream, Ike was bleeding, the cat laguz was hissing, and the tiger laguz looked ashamed. However, I could take a few wild guesses and… well, my own agitation definitely colored things. I couldn't deny that at all.

"Well, if this is what the Beast King's emissaries act like, then I'm _definitely_ heading to the castle," I drawled, unable to help it. If I were a bird, I knew my feathers would be puffed up. As it was, I stood rigidly tall, and spoke with a bit of a growl. Seeing laguz… especially seeing two beast laguz… I was just reminded of the cold fear and pain from Mother's last days. The despair and heartbreak that had shattered my spirit as they glared at me as if I was less than a piece of refuse before turning away. "I'm seriously terrified for Elincia's safety."

"Are you insulting our king?" the cat laguz snarled, yowling a bit at the end of the 'question'. She stood just as rigidly, but she was a bit hunched over, as if she was preparing to transform. Ike facepalmed, still bleeding. The tiger laguz tried to get the cat's attention. "I won't-"

"Look, all I know is that I heard someone scream for someone to 'get him' so loudly that I think they heard you in Crimea." I was being unkind. Distantly, I knew I was. And I was sure they only were mad because Soren provoked them. That said, I was also fairly certain that their presence (or words) had grinded his already frayed nerves to dust. And I really couldn't blame Soren for that, even if it was irrational. I hated the laguz. I'd always hate them, for how they looked upon Branded… and for how they had let my mother die. And I hated these two in particular right now, because they reminded me of how helpless I'd been as a child. "Which really reflects well on what your king values. But hey, it's not like I understand your culture. I know as much about Gallia's ways as I do about beorc." I shrugged and pointedly ignored her to smile at Ike. Who was definitely exasperated. "Anyway, wanted to ask if you wanted me to patrol or something."

"I had things calm before you riled her up," Ike groaned. I made myself relax so that I could smile apologetically. "But yes, thank you, Thalia. A patrol would be nice."

"Hopefully, there won't be signs of anything save the numerous bodies that are fouling up the air. Could also be why our two friends here are so nervy. Beast laguz have very keen noses." That seemed… tactful enough and hopefully it was enough to settle whatever feathers I'd ruffled. I still made sure to ignore them, though. I do it as much as I could get away with, just as laguz did to Branded. ...Speaking of which, Soren and I… "Can I borrow Soren for a moment?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." He poked Soren, who simply bowed his head and nodded. "Stay safe."

"Of course." I waited for Soren to walk over to me before choosing a random door to leave from. Only when I was sure we were out of earshot did I sigh. "Traveling with a bunch of laguz… this is going to be more of a pain than I imagined." Soren muttered something dark and probably violent under his breath, but made sure to keep pace with me. "Who knows if they'll ignore or honor-kill."

"If they attack, I'm retaliating," Soren growled. Just as before, it didn't sound like a beorc growl. Definitely something from his laguz side, whatever it was. "Spouting off-"

"Ah. Let's just forget them, if only so that we can calm down and not make trouble for the mercenaries. Especially Ike, since he has to talk regularly to them."

"Bah." He muttered a few more things before sighing. "I hate that you're right, but this is the most efficient way of getting help now. Damn it."

"I understand." I really, truly did. "Just being in the same room made me lose some of my temper, and my nerves are holding up better than yours." Really did hate how much like a child I felt. I wouldn't call myself 'grown' or 'strong' or anything, but… "Anyway, I really just wanted you out of there. Me being a busybody."

"No, it's probably a good thing." Soren sighed, scowing now. "That said, there _is_ something I'd like you to look for, if you don't mind going through the bodies."

"Guts are guts, be they beorc or animal." I shrugged. Really, corpses were just aggravating, not anything special. "What is it?"

Soren actually found a piece of paper and wrote down a list of things to keep an eye out for while patrolling. I made sure to check it frequently as I walked through, searching the bodies for any scrap of information and lugging equipment back towards the courtyard for us to use. It was long and tiring work, and not work I probably should've been doing with my injuries, but it kept me busy and I actually found quite a bit, particularly on the one I sniped through the eye. When the sun began setting, though, I decided that I was done for now and gathered everything to bring inside. Boyd caught me as I was doing that and chased me off 'to rest' while he handled that part for me. I wasn't sure why, but I decided to go with it, so that I could drop off the papers and books I'd found. Of course, that meant finding Soren, but that wasn't hard. He was in a study off to the side, talking with Ike. Or attempting to talk, rather.

"Ike, we'll go over this in the morning," Soren sighed, distinctly exasperated as he set some papers on the desk he was at. He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, and watched as Ike tried to shake himself awake after the fifth time of almost falling asleep. And that was just in the time I'd been by the door. "You're tired."

"You can tell?" Ike asked, smiling wryly. He did still attempt to wake himself up, even pinching his cheeks. Didn't look like it worked. The way he was sagging… I wondered if he was even going to make it out of the room. "Really?"

"Aside from you not paying attention? Your left eye always twitches when you're desperately fighting off exhaustion." That was very, very specific. Ike's slow blink hinted he hadn't even noticed. "So, go get some sleep. Maybe spend some time with Mist."

"You really are a softie at heart." Ike grinned and Soren frowned at him skeptically. "All right, I'll go ahead and get to bed."

"Sleep tight. And Ike?" Soren hesitated for a moment before lowering his head. "I'm sorry about earlier. I… do not like laguz. But I promise that I'll do what I can to bite my tongue."

"It's fine, Soren." Ike stood up and walked around the desk to clasp Soren's shoulder and squeeze it. "I knew you were out of sorts. You normally wait until a person's alliance is secured before flaying them alive." For some reason, though, Ike sighed. "But let's just say I'm glad Shinon wasn't here for that. We really shouldn't provoke potential allies."

"I don't know." Soren smirked, almost but not quite laughing. "Seeing Shinon eviscerated might've been fun."

"Soren!" Ike rolled his eyes and Soren hid a snicker. "Don't even joke…" He sighed and turned towards the door, and I waved when he saw me. "Oh, Thalia!"

"I'd come by later, but I think Soren wants this as soon as possible," I explained, setting the pile of papers on the desk. Soren immediately began looking through them, eyes practically glittering with anticipation. "And _you_ look like you're going to pass out on the floor. I'll help you to your room."

Ike did try to protest, mostly by saying that _I_ should rest, but he gave in quickly enough when Soren prodded him. And he ended up actually leaning against me as we headed down the hall, making me glad we were around the same height. Next time something like this happened, though… well, if I was around, I was just going to carry him for convenience's sake. This time, though, I let him walk and stayed just long enough to make sure he'd be able to make it to the bed before leaving to head to my room. On the way, though, I… well, I ran into the tiger laguz. While all alone in the hallway. Not good.

"You are… Thalia, yes?" he asked, speaking slowly. His words were a little shaky and it sounded like he was attempting to talk around something. But I did find myself slowly relaxing, mostly because he himself was perfectly relaxed. No tail lashing or bristled fur or anything. The most was that his ears were tilted down. "I am Mordecai."

"Pleased to meet you, Mordecai," I replied, barely keeping the dryness out of my voice. As I'd told Soren, I knew I had to be polite. I couldn't rile them. Even if staying near one was enough to shake my heart. All too clearly could I see Mother resting against a tree as the light left her eyes… "And yes, I'm Thalia. Did you need me for something?"

"Princess Elincia is well." It took a moment to realize why he was saying that. He'd… he'd remembered what I'd said, and had come to reassure me. "Sad. But safe. Warm." He looked frustrated for a moment before sighing. "My words… are they understandable?"

"Hmm? Yes, of course. Why…?" I belatedly figured it out. Beast laguz typically communicated with each other via subtle body language and vocalizations like growls. "Truthfully, if you're asking about how well you talk in general, I'd recommend asking someone else in the morning. Like Ike. But what you're telling me is that I don't need to worry about Elinicia."

"Yes. I'm glad." His ears tilted up and he made a strange noise that was a short, loud burst. I recalled hearing it among tiger laguz that were playing by the forest's edge a few times. "Glad that I am understandable. Words are important. Words can solve problems before they become fighting."

"I see." I just _barely_ bit back my sarcastic retort at that. But I let myself be distracted by how he was talking to me, and he wasn't trying to bury his claws in my entrails. "Mordecai, are you not uneasy around me?"

"Mmm… I can't say that I am not." Mordecai hung his head, like it was shameful, and his ears dropped again. "I have limited experience with beorc. But I will endeavor, so that my words mean something."

"I see…" Ah, of course. With my Brand hidden, I did look like a beorc. He was confusing that instinctive hatred for something more mundane. The ones Mother and I had run into all those years ago… they had too much experience with beorc to confuse it with anything. And no doubt I would deal with more laguz like that at the castle. But for now, Soren and I were safe. Ish. "Well, these people are very weird beorc. Which means they're nice. Especially Ike." I bent down to catch his eye and smiled, making sure to not show teeth. That one came from an old memory, a warning from Father to not smile with teeth at laguz. They viewed it as a threat. "You're fine. And thank you for taking the time to reassure me about Elincia." Good, it seemed like she was, at least, getting that help. I'd be able to leave with a clear conscience, once we reached the castle.

And, thankfully, Mordecai didn't try to draw out the conversation, but left after making that noise again and nodding. Still, I was feeling unsettled, so instead of heading to my room, I went outside to feel the wind on my skin. And came upon a very surprising sight. The cat girl… she was sitting on her knees by Greil's grave, perfect posture, save for her bowed head. There was no sound, save for the wind itself, and I leaned against the outside wall to watch. I was curious. ...And I could admit that I didn't _quite_ trust her to not mess with the grave. But she didn't. She just remained there, perfectly still, for what seemed like a long time.

At last, she stood up, brushing the dirt off her knees, and turned to look right at me. "Yes?" she prompted, voice drawling. Her ears were turned back and her tail lashed about her legs, but she didn't attack me outright. "What is it?"

"I'd be surprised you noticed, but you probably heard me," I replied, deciding how to answer. One look at her, though, made me decide honesty was the best way to go. "Because of earlier, I wanted to make sure you didn't disturb anything." I didn't get the point of graves and whatnot, but I knew it was important to the others. "That's all."

"I wouldn't…!" She growled, hissing a little and bristling. But, surprisingly, she calmed down fairly quickly. "This grave… is for a beorc named Greil, yes?"

"Yes."

"Our king said he was a good friend. A very, very good friend." Oh? Well, that explained why Greil and Titania had been certain they'd be allowed to the castle. "A strong warrior, but better person. A beorc who gave him hope. Our king had been very excited, hearing that his old friend was back in Gallia. I had hoped to actually meet him, but…" She looked back to the grave, her ears pressed down against her head. "I hate beorc. But this one… this one was one my king loved. I had to at least pay my respects."

"That's very kind of you." Well, maybe there was something to her being sent here after all. "I am sorry if I disturbed you. I just wanted to feel the wind a bit before heading for bed."

"When it stinks of the dead?"

"Beorc don't smell worse than dead animals, and they're all over the place in the woods." I shrugged. "Besides, my nose isn't as sensitive as yours."

"Lucky you." She grumbled, back to being annoyed. "Bah, whatever. But we march early tomorrow."

"With as much stuff as these folk have, we'll see how early we actually leave." I shrugged and headed inside. "Night."

"...It's Lethe." She sounded like the words were dragging themselves out. That's how reluctant her tone was. "My name."

"I'm called Thalia." Lovely, we had kind Mordecai and prickly Lethe. And their subordinates, wherever they were.

Ugh… this was going to be nerve-wracking. I was definitely leaving once we got to the castle. My nerves couldn't take this much stress.

* * *

 _Oscar, 24_

 _The eldest of the trio of brothers, known both for his calm nature and near perfect manners. Once part of the 12th regiment of the Crimean Knights, he resigned in order to better take care of his brothers after his stepmother's abandonment and his father's death and, later, was recruited by Greil to join the mercenaries. Despite the hardships, he considers his brothers to be his pride and joys and never regrets giving up his dream to make sure they were taken care of._

 _Trained as a Crimean Knight, he's considered a very 'balanced' fighter. While he will likely never be 'the best' at any one trait, the versatility means he will find less situations where he's in grave danger._

 _Enjoys the quieter work among the mercenaries, and is quick to take up any chore that needs to be done both to help out and because he finds such work soothing. He never passes up a chance to cook, and enjoys trying new recipes, particularly those his brothers might like. Good thing too, since he's easily the best cook among the mercenaries_

* * *

Author's notes: (I know it's the title of the chapter, but wow, did it ever get the Circle of Life stuck in my head)

Oscar's age is directly mentioned in one of his supports, iirc (and now you have a reference for Thalia's 'true' age). Ike retrieving the axe and sword is… I guess sorta implied in the opening scene here (since Urvan is used as a tombstone), but is kinda stated _much_ later in the game. There's nothing on just who handled the grave making and all, but I figured it would fit. Rolf makes flowers because the in-game CG shows a ring of flowers around Urvan.

Ike's talk with Boyd are based on the in-game base convos they have, with a bit more added. Ike mentioning he just can't cry comes from his convo with Rhys. Ike's convo with Mia… I think is technically next chapter, actually. Whoops. (In-game, there's also a talk with Rolf.) The dialogue between Ike and the boss is more or less from the game.

This chapter is also where the merchants appear, who remain with the mercenaries for the rest of the game (and show up time and again in base convos) and they're also in FE10. Aimee's called Larabel or something in FE10, but it seems that 'Aimee' might be the intended name? No clue, but I had to pick one and I'm sticking to it. Ilyana (that is probably spelled wrong…) having 'no presence' or anything is based on the skill she comes with: shade. Makes the AI less likely to target her… though not even the righteous wrath of the RNGoddess will deter the AI from a potential one-round kill, much less that. And thunder spells are heavy.

Gave a tad more context to why Soren snaps on Lethe and Mordecai after the battle. Mordecai's talk with Thalia at the end is based on his talk with Ike in the next chapter (I find it interesting). There's… not really anything about Lethe visiting Greil's grave or anything, but I thought it would be a good way to show her kinder, more respectful side. (As a side-note, I am going to try [emphasis: try] to add some animal communication among the laguz, even in their human forms. Some will be easier than others.

Next Chapter - Gallia


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